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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: last · bulb · bat · rule · court · pitcher · racket · lean

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rule — a law
  4. last — to go on
  5. bulb — for light
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. last — finally
  13. court — of a king
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. last — final
  18. court — for sport
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bulb — of a plant

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