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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: stand · ground · fall · pitcher · cue · court · roll · sharp

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cue — a hint
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cue — a signal
  6. roll — a list
  7. court — for sport
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. court — of law
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cue — for pool
  18. ground — a position
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. ground — the earth
  22. fall — the season
  23. stand — to bear
  24. ground — crushed

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