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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: rock · key · content · pitch · prune · chip · pound · racket

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. content — happy
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. key — in music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitch — completely
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pound — a weight

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