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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 124 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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 — a sports field
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bulb — for light
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. hand — in cards
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wax — to grow
  15. net — in sport
  16. staff — employees
  17. bulb — for light
  18. prune — to trim
  19. staff — employees
  20. hand — help
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wax — in the ear
  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