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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. saw — the tool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. court — for sport
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. rock — music
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. court — of law
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. hand — help
  17. pit — a hole
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. court — of a king
  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