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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. present — the time now
  3. object — to protest
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. present — there
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. face — part of the head
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rock — music
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rock — a stone
  14. file — a document
  15. present — a gift
  16. pitch — completely
  17. object — a thing
  18. ball — a dance
  19. prune — to trim
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. face — to confront
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. file — a tool

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