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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 120 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bear — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. snap — to click
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cue — for pool
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bear — the animal
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cue — a signal
  22. game — a match
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. field — a subject

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