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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 120 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. staff — employees
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. content — the amount
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. prune — to trim
  15. staff — employees
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. staff — a stick
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. plane — a tool
  24. prune — the fruit

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