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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: vault · game · fork · prune · swing · pass · squash · rest

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rest — a break
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. squash — the sport
  8. vault — a safe
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pass — a permit
  11. game — a match
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. rest — what's left
  20. swing — in golf
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. swing — music
  24. fork — in a road

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