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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: bowl · rest · dip · file · ball · court · bass · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. court — of a king
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rest — what's left
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. court — for sport
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. file — a tool
  15. rest — a break
  16. court — of law
  17. bass — the fish
  18. file — a document
  19. ball — a dance
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bass — low music
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bowl — a dish

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