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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rock — a stone
  3. snap — to click
  4. court — of law
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rock — music
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. court — for sport
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. court — of a king
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bass — the fish
  18. ball — a dance
  19. field — a subject
  20. pitch — completely
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bass — low music
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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