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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 116 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: cap · ball · mouse · kid · band · court · rock · plane

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. band — a ring
  8. kid — to tease
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. court — of law
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. band — a music group
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. kid — child
  19. rock — music
  20. court — for sport
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cap — a hat

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