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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: racket · hand · pass · mark · bulb · fan · court · firm

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. firm — decided
  5. hand — help
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bulb — for light
  8. court — for sport
  9. firm — a company
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bulb — for light
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. court — of law
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. hand — in cards
  20. firm — steady
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pass — to succeed

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