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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. content — the amount
  3. bear — the animal
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pitch — completely
  12. staff — employees
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. content — happy
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. staff — employees
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rest — what's left
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitcher — a jug

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