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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 116 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. prune — to trim
  4. content — the amount
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. prune — to trim
  9. net — in sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rock — a stone
  12. net — after costs
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pitch — completely
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rock — music
  17. season — in sport
  18. tear — from crying
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. season — of the year
  24. net — for catching

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