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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 · bear · game · court · jam · rock · cue · cell

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. ground — crushed
  3. game — wild animals
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. game — a match
  8. cue — a signal
  9. court — of law
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. court — of a king
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cell — a phone
  16. court — for sport
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — music
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. rock — to move gently
  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