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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.

Make a worksheet

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: face · foot · ball · racket · mine · cue · bore · court

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bore — to tire
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. cue — a hint
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ball — a dance
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cue — for pool
  19. face — to confront
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. court — of law
  24. racket — for tennis

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