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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. suit — to fit
  3. club — a group
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — in cards
  13. club — for dancing
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. board — to get on
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. mine — for digging
  20. club — for golf
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. board — a committee

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