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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: dip · ball · court · lie · band · shower · mouse · cap

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. ball — a dance
  3. court — of law
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. court — of a king
  6. cap — of ice
  7. band — a ring
  8. cap — a hat
  9. ball — a great time
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. court — for sport
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. shower — rain
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cap — a lid
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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