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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: last · band · wind · bat · pound · cue · ball · court

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pound — a weight
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. cue — a signal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. band — a music group
  7. court — of a king
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. court — of law
  10. ball — a great time
  11. last — finally
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. band — a ring
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. wind — moving air
  19. last — final
  20. cue — a hint
  21. court — for sport
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cue — for pool

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