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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. spell — letters
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cue — a hint
  7. mate — to breed
  8. spell — a short time
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. spell — magic
  11. club — for dancing
  12. cue — for pool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. club — for golf
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cue — a signal
  23. club — a group
  24. mate — a partner

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