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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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. mouse — the animal
  4. spring — the season
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. march — the month
  8. key — for a lock
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spring — of water
  11. march — music
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. march — the month
  14. mine — for digging
  15. key — in music
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pitch — completely
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. spring — a coil
  22. key — the most important part
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mine — belonging to me

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