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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.

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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: object · spring · bat · band · ball · pop · stick · court

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bat — the animal
  3. court — for sport
  4. object — a thing
  5. band — a music group
  6. ball — a great time
  7. band — a ring
  8. object — an aim
  9. pop — soda
  10. court — of law
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pop — music
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. ball — a dance
  16. spring — the season
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. court — of a king
  19. object — to protest
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pop — to visit
  23. spring — of water
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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