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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. suit — to fit
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. suit — in cards
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. toast — bread
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cell — a phone
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cell — in biology
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. suit — clothes
  20. fall — to drop
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. fall — the season
  23. pitch — completely
  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