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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. snap — to click
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. prune — to trim
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. last — to go on
  10. pound — a weight
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. last — finally
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — to breed
  16. last — final
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. land — ground
  21. pitch — completely
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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