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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 120 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
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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: bowl · fine · bat · court · ball · race · rush · chest

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. race — humankind
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. chest — a box
  7. court — for sport
  8. fine — all right
  9. ball — a dance
  10. court — of law
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. race — a contest
  15. ball — a great time
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bat — the animal
  20. court — of a king
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. fine — high quality
  23. ball — a round shape
  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