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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: shower · ground · lash · fine · cue · stand · squash · court

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. fine — high quality
  3. stand — to bear
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. ground — crushed
  6. court — for sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — rain
  10. squash — the sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. cue — a hint
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cue — for pool
  20. court — of law
  21. fine — all right
  22. cue — a signal
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. stand — for spectators

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