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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
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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: ball · can · season · ground · drill · rush · root · firm

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. season — of the year
  3. ground — a position
  4. can — to be able to
  5. ball — a dance
  6. firm — steady
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. root — of a word
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rush — hurry
  11. season — in sport
  12. ground — the earth
  13. root — the cause
  14. firm — a company
  15. can — a tin
  16. drill — army training
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. can — a tin
  20. ground — crushed
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. root — of a plant
  24. firm — decided

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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