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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: ball · tear · pop · tube · fan · court · cabinet · object

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. object — an aim
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. court — of a king
  7. ball — a dance
  8. court — of law
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ball — a great time
  12. tube — the underground
  13. object — to protest
  14. pop — soda
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pop — to visit
  22. court — for sport
  23. object — a thing
  24. pop — music

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