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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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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: rock · pitch · racket · shower · cue · band · court · bank

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitch — completely
  5. rock — music
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bank — of a river
  9. court — for sport
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. shower — to wash
  15. band — a music group
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bank — for money
  19. shower — rain
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rock — a stone
  22. court — of law
  23. cue — for pool
  24. court — of a king

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