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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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. last — final
  4. saw — the tool
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. bore — to tire
  12. last — finally
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bore — to drill
  20. last — to go on
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pound — a weight
  24. spell — a short time

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