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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. prune — to trim
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. prune — to trim
  7. board — to get on
  8. key — in music
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. row — a line
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. key — for a lock
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. board — a committee
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. row — to paddle
  23. deal — to handle
  24. board — a flat piece

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