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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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Word bank
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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: fine · hide · jam · court · ground · prune · date · pitch

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pitch — completely
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. ground — a position
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. court — of law
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ground — the earth
  11. fine — all right
  12. date — the fruit
  13. court — for sport
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. court — of a king
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. hide — to keep secret

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