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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 120 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. snap — to click
  3. fine — high quality
  4. chair — a leader
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fine — all right
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wake — a trail
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. last — to go on
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. swing — in golf
  19. pitch — completely
  20. last — finally
  21. swing — music
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. swing — to play on
  24. last — final

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