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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitch — completely
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. root — of a word
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. shower — to wash
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bass — low music
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. court — for sport
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. shower — rain

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