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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: chest · saw · rock · ground · prune · hand · cue · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. court — of a king
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rock — a stone
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cue — a hint
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cue — a signal
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ground — the earth
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hand — in cards
  13. court — of law
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. hand — help
  16. rock — music
  17. chest — a box
  18. ground — a position
  19. cue — for pool
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. ground — crushed
  23. court — for sport
  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