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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: leaves · game · net · prune · last · bowl · firm · fine

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. prune — to trim
  5. net — after costs
  6. last — final
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. last — to go on
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. game — wild animals
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. prune — to trim
  13. firm — a company
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. fine — all right
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. game — a match
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. firm — decided
  23. last — finally
  24. firm — steady

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