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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. land — ground
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fine — all right
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pitch — completely
  15. fall — the season
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. prune — to trim
  19. scale — size or range
  20. mark — a trace
  21. scale — in music
  22. tube — the underground
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pitch — a sports field

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