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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 · object · pitcher · race · court · prune · pass · leaves

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. court — of a king
  4. ground — the earth
  5. object — an aim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. court — of law
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. court — for sport
  11. ground — a position
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. race — a contest
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. object — a thing
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. race — humankind
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pass — a permit
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. ground — crushed
  24. race — the arms race

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