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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · season · fork · pitcher · ground · prune · roll · stick

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. ground — crushed
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fork — in a road
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. court — for sport
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ground — a position
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. season — in sport
  19. roll — a list
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. ground — the earth
  24. prune — to trim

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