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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · ball · pitcher · court · hand · snap · cue · content

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. content — happy
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. content — the amount
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cue — for pool
  9. court — of law
  10. cue — a signal
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cue — a hint
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. ball — a dance
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. hand — in cards
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. court — for sport
  22. snap — to click
  23. court — of a king
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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