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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: wave · court · bowl · kick · fan · cue · mark · bore

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. mark — to pay attention
  2. court — for sport
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mark — a trace
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bore — to drill
  15. cue — for pool
  16. kick — in football
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cue — a hint
  19. court — of law
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. mark — a grade
  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