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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 · rest · swing · racket · sharp · row · kid · rule

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rest — a break
  5. swing — in golf
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. swing — music
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. rule — government
  12. rest — what's left
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. rest — what's left
  15. row — to paddle
  16. sharp — clever
  17. kid — child
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. prune — to trim
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rule — a law
  22. prune — to trim
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. swing — to play on

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