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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: racket · wave · lie · pitcher · dip · court · spring · hand

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — help
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. court — of law
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. spring — the season

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