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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: kick · land · race · racket · ruler · roll · cell · prune

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. land — to come down
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. race — humankind
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. roll — a list
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. roll — a cake
  15. land — a country
  16. cell — a phone
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. race — a contest
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. race — the arms race
  22. land — ground
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. prune — the fruit

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