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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · stem · ball · racket · court · drill · rest · spell

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. stem — to come from
  3. fine — high quality
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. drill — army training
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. ball — a dance
  8. spell — letters
  9. court — of a king
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rest — a break
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. court — of law
  14. drill — the tool
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rest — what's left
  18. court — for sport
  19. spell — a short time
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fine — all right
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spell — magic
  24. ball — a great time

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