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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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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: fall · mouse · court · ball · cue · chest · prune · lie

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. court — of law
  3. chest — a box
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cue — a hint
  9. court — of a king
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cue — for pool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cue — a signal
  14. court — for sport
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chest — of your body
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ball — a dance
  24. fall — 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