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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. track — a path
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. season — in sport
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. saw — the tool
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — clothes
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wind — moving air
  14. prune — to trim
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. season — of the year
  17. track — to keep track
  18. wind — moving air
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. suit — in cards
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. track — a song
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wind — to turn a key

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