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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 · temple · arm · vault · last · race · ball · mouse

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. race — a contest
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. vault — a safe
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. last — finally
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ball — a dance
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. last — final
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. ball — a great time
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. last — to go on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mouse — the animal

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