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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: prune · chest · stick · object · rest · pitch · bay · track

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — a thing
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. chest — of your body
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pitch — completely
  20. object — to protest
  21. chest — a box
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. track — a song
  24. rest — what's left

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