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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. last — to go on
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. last — finally
  5. face — to confront
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. last — final
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. face — part of the head
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitch — completely
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  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