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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bore — to tire
  3. game — wild animals
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. game — a match
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mug — a face
  12. field — for sport
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mug — to rob
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. field — farmland
  20. pitch — completely
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mug — a cup
  23. field — a subject
  24. cap — a hat

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