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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. ball — a great time
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cold — an illness
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bank — for money
  12. chip — to eat
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bank — of a river
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bank — for money
  17. rock — a stone
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rock — music
  24. pitch — completely

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