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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: court · ball · lean · wake · racket · tube · fall · rest

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. tube — a container
  6. fall — to drop
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rest — a break
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rest — what's left
  13. court — for sport
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. ball — a great time
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rest — what's left
  18. court — of law
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fall — to drop
  22. court — of a king
  23. fall — the season
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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