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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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. key — for a lock
  4. key — the most important part
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. key — in music
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. saw — the tool
  14. shower — rain
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. saw — the tool
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. swing — to play on
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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