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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: ball · fork · pitch · rush · last · root · prune · cue

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. last — to go on
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. root — the cause
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. root — of a word
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. last — final
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. cue — for pool
  19. root — of a plant
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. pitch — completely
  22. last — finally
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rush — hurry

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