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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: ball · roll · face · last · prune · season · cabinet · stick

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. last — final
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. season — in sport
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. roll — a list
  15. last — finally
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. face — part of the head
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. face — to point toward
  21. last — to go on
  22. season — of the year
  23. ball — a dance
  24. face — to confront

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