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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: rock · chair · court · mark · ball · kid

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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 round shape
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mark — a trace
  9. kid — child
  10. rock — music
  11. court — for sport
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mark — a grade
  14. court — of a king
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. ball — a great time
  17. rock — a stone
  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