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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 116 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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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: court · kick · suit · fall · bat · charge · racket · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. suit — in cards
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. spring — the season
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. court — for sport
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bat — the animal
  14. fall — the season
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. charge — a price
  21. suit — to fit
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. charge — in control
  24. spring — of water

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