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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: ruler · game · prune · race · fall · jam · sharp · pitcher

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. race — a contest
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. race — humankind
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. race — the arms race
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. sharp — clever
  24. fall — the season

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