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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: ball · firm · squash · last · ground · cue · rock · prune

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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 — a position
  2. cue — a hint
  3. firm — a company
  4. rock — a stone
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cue — a signal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. squash — the sport
  9. firm — decided
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. last — to go on
  15. firm — steady
  16. squash — to crush
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ground — the earth
  19. last — final
  20. cue — for pool
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. last — finally
  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