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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 116 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: staff · fan · court · cue · ground · mine · bowl · mug

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. court — of law
  4. mug — to rob
  5. court — for sport
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cue — a hint
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mug — a face
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. staff — employees
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cue — a signal
  16. ground — the earth
  17. staff — a stick
  18. ground — crushed
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. court — of a king
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. cue — for pool
  24. ground — a position

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