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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: stick · prune · lie · fine · pitcher · track · pop · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pop — to visit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. track — a song
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — a path
  13. fine — high quality
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fine — all right
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bat — the animal
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. pop — soda
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pop — music

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