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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: clip · court · mug · racket · hide · calf · pop · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mug — a face
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pop — music
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pop — soda
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pop — to visit
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. court — of law
  17. mug — to rob
  18. ball — a dance
  19. court — of a king
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. mug — a cup
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. court — for sport

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