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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.

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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: ground · rush · club · court · pitcher · root · spell · fall

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. court — for sport
  3. root — the cause
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spell — letters
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fall — the season
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. spell — a short time
  14. root — of a word
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fall — to drop
  17. court — of law
  18. club — for golf
  19. root — of a plant
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. court — of a king
  22. rush — hurry
  23. spell — magic
  24. ground — a position

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