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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. court — of a king
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. court — of law
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. drill — the tool
  7. rash — hasty
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. court — for sport
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. rash — a series
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bound — tied together
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. prune — to trim

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