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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · saw · track · board · pitcher · pitch · chest · prune

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pitch — completely
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. prune — to trim
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. squash — to crush
  7. track — to keep track
  8. chest — of your body
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. track — a path
  14. saw — the tool
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. board — to get on
  17. chest — of your body
  18. prune — to trim
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chest — a box
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — a song

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