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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — to get on
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kid — child
  12. last — final
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. last — to go on
  15. rest — a break
  16. last — finally
  17. stock — goods
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stock — shares
  24. prune — to trim

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