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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: kid · rock · cue · bowl · march · race · cap · prune

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cap — a lid
  4. march — the month
  5. kid — child
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. march — music
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cap — a hat
  12. race — humankind
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cue — for pool
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. rock — music
  18. cue — a signal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. march — the month

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