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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. clip — to cut
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. stand — to bear
  8. face — to confront
  9. drill — the tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. clip — a video
  13. rock — a stone
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. pitch — completely
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rock — music
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. face — part of the head
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. drill — a practice

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