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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: can · cold · court · ball · rush · mark · cue · calf

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cue — a hint
  3. court — for sport
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. can — to be able to
  7. ball — a dance
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cold — an illness
  11. court — of law
  12. cue — a signal
  13. can — a tin
  14. rush — hurry
  15. can — a tin
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. court — of a king
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. calf — of the leg

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