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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bowl · shower · racket · court · fine · ball · chair · kick

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. chair — a leader
  3. ball — a dance
  4. court — of a king
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. court — of law
  20. shower — rain
  21. fine — high quality
  22. kick — in football
  23. shower — to wash
  24. fine — all right

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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