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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: wake · court · bore · board · band · ball · lie · cue

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. court — for sport
  3. band — a music group
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. court — of a king
  9. board — a committee
  10. ball — a great time
  11. band — a ring
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cue — a signal
  14. lie — to recline
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. court — of law
  18. bore — to drill
  19. board — to get on
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bore — to tire
  22. cue — a hint
  23. ball — a dance
  24. band — a rubber band

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