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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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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: hand · pitch · prune · roll · racket · ball · rush · jam

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. roll — a list
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hand — help
  12. pitch — completely
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rush — hurry
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. roll — a cake
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. pitch — a sports field

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