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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fall — the season
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bat — the animal
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  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