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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitch · game · spell · fan · prune · wind · rock · rule

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rock — music
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rule — a law
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rule — government
  11. game — a match
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wind — moving air
  16. spell — magic
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. spell — a short time
  20. game — wild animals
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. spell — letters

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