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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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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: rest · pound · court · staff · mine · cue · ground · mark

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. ground — crushed
  7. staff — employees
  8. pound — a weight
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ground — a position
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. rest — a break
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. court — of law
  24. mine — an explosive

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