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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 120 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: bark · pop · object · game · prune · mate · cap · racket

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. object — a thing
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pop — soda
  8. object — an aim
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pop — to visit
  11. mate — a partner
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pop — music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mate — to breed
  22. object — to protest
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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