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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. band — a ring
  23. shower — to wash
  24. cell — a phone

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