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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: ball · leaves · court · bank · mug · fan

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mug — a face
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bank — for money
  7. court — of a king
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bank — for money
  12. ball — a great time
  13. court — for sport
  14. bank — of a river
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — to rob
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. court — of law

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