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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: race · jam · cue · roll · rule · prune · bound · racket

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. cue — a signal
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. rule — government
  8. roll — a list
  9. rule — a law
  10. roll — a cake
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cue — for pool
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. bound — certain
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. race — humankind
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

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