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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.

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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 · ground · degree · sharp · prune · court · rock · chip

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. court — of a king
  6. rush — hurry
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ground — crushed
  9. court — of law
  10. rock — a stone
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rock — music
  15. chip — to eat
  16. degree — an amount
  17. ground — a position
  18. court — for sport
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. ground — the earth
  21. degree — temperature
  22. chip — for betting
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. sharp — with an edge

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