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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: prune · roll · staff · bowl · last · game · fine · race

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. prune — to trim
  3. staff — employees
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — a cake
  6. game — a match
  7. staff — employees
  8. race — a contest
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. race — humankind
  17. staff — a stick
  18. last — to go on
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. fine — high quality
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bowl — a dish

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