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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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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: prune · row · game · toast · pitch · lean · ball · ruler

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. ball — a great time
  5. lean — thin
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. game — a match
  12. row — to paddle
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. prune — to trim
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. row — a line
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. toast — bread
  21. lean — to bend
  22. prune — to trim
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pitch — completely

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