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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. march — the month
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. march — music
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. press — to push
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mine — for digging
  17. kid — child
  18. press — newspapers
  19. kid — to tease
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. march — the month
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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