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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. ball — a dance
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rock — music
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fine — all right
  13. ball — a great time
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fine — high quality
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rock — a stone
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. prune — to trim
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. prune — the fruit

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