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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pop — music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mug — a cup
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mug — to rob
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. drill — the tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — soda
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. drill — army training
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mug — a face
  24. spell — magic

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