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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 120 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: racket · capital · season · prune · game · pass · arm · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. season — in sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. capital — money
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. capital — a city
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. season — of the year
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. pass — a permit
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. game — wild animals
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. game — a match
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. nail — on a finger

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