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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. prune — to trim
  3. file — a document
  4. mine — for digging
  5. craft — boats
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. game — wild animals
  10. craft — a skill
  11. file — a line of people
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. kick — in football
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. file — a tool
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

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