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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mine — for digging
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bore — to tire
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bore — to drill
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. toast — bread
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. snap — to click
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. scale — in music
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. fan — a supporter

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