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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: last · pitch · temple · game · rest · hide · prune · ball

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rest — what's left
  4. last — to go on
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. ball — a dance
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rest — a break
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pitch — completely
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. last — final
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. game — a match
  22. rest — what's left
  23. prune — to trim
  24. game — wild animals

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