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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. prune — to trim
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bear — the animal
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. face — to confront
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitch — completely
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. face — part of the head
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. snap — to click
  24. net — after costs

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