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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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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 · toast · ball · racket · kid · ruler · bear · pitcher

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ground — a position
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. kid — child
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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