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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: fork · court · rock · shower · bat · ball · pitch · craft

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. craft — a skill
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pitch — completely
  7. shower — to wash
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. shower — rain
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rock — a stone
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. court — of a king
  16. bat — the animal
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. court — for sport
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. court — of law
  24. bat — in an idiom

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