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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
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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: bowl · suit · game · prune · tear · chair · ball · fall

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ball — a great time
  4. suit — to fit
  5. tear — from crying
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. game — wild animals
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. fall — the season
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. prune — to trim
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. tear — from crying
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ball — a dance
  23. chair — a leader
  24. fall — to drop

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