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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: track · stick · sharp · press · prune · pitch · deal · fork

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fork — in a road
  5. sharp — clever
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. press — to push
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. track — a song
  21. press — a publisher
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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