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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. row — a line
  3. chest — of your body
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. chest — a box
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pitch — completely
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. squash — the sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. squash — to crush
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pitch — a sales talk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com