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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 120 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. prune — to trim
  3. root — of a word
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pit — a hole
  8. root — of a plant
  9. current — happening now
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. root — the cause
  12. kid — to tease
  13. current — of water
  14. spell — letters
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pitch — completely
  18. current — electric
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. pit — in a race
  24. prune — to trim

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