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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  3. charge — in control
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rest — a break
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mug — a face
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rest — what's left
  11. charge — electricity
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. net — in sport
  15. charge — a price
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. net — after costs
  18. snap — to click
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. net — for catching
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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