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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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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: mouse · fall · court · bank · cell · ball · shower · track

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. court — of law
  3. bank — for money
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cell — a phone
  7. ball — a dance
  8. track — to keep track
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. court — for sport
  13. track — a path
  14. court — of a king
  15. bank — of a river
  16. fall — to drop
  17. ball — a great time
  18. fall — the season
  19. track — a song
  20. bank — for money
  21. shower — rain
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cell — in biology
  24. shower — to wash

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