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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.

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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: bay · court · stick · shower · plane · racket · wake · kick

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. kick — in football
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. shower — rain
  10. court — of law
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. court — of a king
  16. plane — a tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. court — for sport
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. shower — to wash
  24. kick — with a leg

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