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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pass — a permit
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. kid — child
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. row — to paddle
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. row — a line
  23. face — to confront
  24. pitch — completely

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