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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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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: race · game · can · bowl · racket · prune · club · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. row — a line
  7. game — wild animals
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. club — a group
  10. can — a tin
  11. game — a match
  12. can — to be able to
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. race — the arms race
  17. club — for dancing
  18. can — a tin
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. club — for golf
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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