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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: rush · stock · chair · ground · pound · pitcher · court · present

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. rush — hurry
  4. ground — crushed
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. present — there
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. ground — a position
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — a gift
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chair — a leader
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. court — of law
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. pound — a weight
  24. chair — a professorship

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