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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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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: mark · mug · present · pitch · prune · net · pop · safe

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mug — a cup
  3. present — a gift
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pop — music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. net — after costs
  14. pop — to visit
  15. net — in sport
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. net — for catching
  18. mug — a face
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mug — to rob
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pop — soda

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