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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: prune · race · racket · bore · pitcher · bass · ground · mate

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mate — to breed
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mate — a partner
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bass — low music
  11. mate — a friend
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bore — to tire
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bass — the fish
  20. race — a contest
  21. ground — a position
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. race — the arms race
  24. ground — crushed

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