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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
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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: chair · ball · mark · last · kick · pass · land · prune

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. prune — to trim
  8. land — ground
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. chair — a leader
  11. pass — a permit
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. mark — a grade
  16. land — a country
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kick — in football
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. last — final
  23. mark — a trace
  24. land — to come down

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