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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. row — to paddle
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. season — of the year
  6. game — a match
  7. prune — to trim
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. game — wild animals
  12. row — a line
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. vault — a safe
  17. mark — a grade
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. mark — a trace
  20. season — in sport
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. game — a kind of play

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