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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 · ball · court · bank · deal · shower · stand · hide

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. court — of a king
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. court — for sport
  7. bank — of a river
  8. deal — to handle
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bank — for money
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. stand — to bear
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. clip — for paper
  15. court — of law
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bank — for money
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. shower — to wash
  23. clip — a video
  24. ball — a dance

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