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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. ground — a position
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. spring — the season
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitch — completely
  16. mate — a partner
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. craft — boats
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. prune — to trim

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