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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. prune — to trim
  3. content — the amount
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bat — the animal
  8. content — happy
  9. craft — boats
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. firm — a company
  16. pitch — completely
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. ground — the earth
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — steady
  23. coach — a trainer
  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