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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: land · bat · deal · ball · last · court · rash · bear

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rash — a series
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. last — to go on
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. land — a country
  13. last — finally
  14. court — of a king
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rash — hasty
  18. last — final
  19. court — of law
  20. land — ground
  21. bear — the animal
  22. land — to come down
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — an agreement

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