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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
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 · mate · trunk · cue · kid · ball · bound · racket

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mate — to breed
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bound — certain
  10. mate — a friend
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. mate — a partner
  14. kid — to tease
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. cue — for pool
  18. court — for sport
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bound — tied together
  21. kid — child
  22. bound — obliged
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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