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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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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: ball · saw · last · face · racket · court · rock · patient

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. ball — a dance
  3. last — final
  4. court — of law
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. court — for sport
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. face — to point toward
  9. ball — a great time
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. saw — the tool
  15. face — part of the head
  16. court — of a king
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. last — to go on
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. saw — the tool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. face — to confront
  24. racket — a loud noise

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