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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a trace
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. last — final
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. staff — a stick
  13. last — finally
  14. mark — a grade
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. vault — a safe
  22. last — to go on
  23. plane — a tool
  24. racket — a loud noise

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