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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. staff — a stick
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. object — an aim
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. race — a contest
  11. pop — soda
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — humankind
  14. pitch — completely
  15. staff — employees
  16. pop — music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. staff — employees
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pop — to visit
  21. object — a thing
  22. bat — the animal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fork — to eat with

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