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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 · hand · court · rest · rock · ball · stem · date

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rock — a stone
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. court — for sport
  8. rest — a break
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. ball — a great time
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. court — of law
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rest — what's left
  19. court — of a king
  20. date — the fruit
  21. ground — a position
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. hand — help
  24. rock — music

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