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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.

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: game · squash · prune · cap · date · rash · bowl · clip

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. prune — to trim
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. cap — of ice
  9. clip — a video
  10. squash — to crush
  11. clip — to cut
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rash — hasty
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. rash — a series
  17. game — a match
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cap — a lid
  21. prune — to trim
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cap — a hat
  24. squash — the sport

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