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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: deal · ball · court · can · swing · drill · fan · bowl

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. can — to be able to
  4. drill — army training
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. ball — a dance
  8. swing — music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. swing — to play on
  14. deal — to handle
  15. court — of a king
  16. drill — a practice
  17. can — a tin
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. swing — in golf
  20. drill — the tool
  21. court — for sport
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. court — of law
  24. can — a tin

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