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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.

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: game · racket · trunk · cap · court · band · rush · bay

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rush — hurry
  4. band — a ring
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. band — a music group
  7. game — a match
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. cap — a lid
  12. court — for sport
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. court — of a king
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. cap — of ice
  24. court — of law

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