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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.

Words on the sheet
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: arm · last · pitcher · game · ball · prune · calf · ruler

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. last — to go on
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. prune — to trim
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. last — finally
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. last — final
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. game — a match
  24. ruler — for measuring

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