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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: ball · rush · bat · temple · object · cell · pass · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. ball — a dance
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. object — to protest
  16. cell — in biology
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. cell — a phone
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. object — an aim
  23. rush — hurry
  24. object — a thing

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