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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.

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: ball · bowl · lie · hand · ground · stick · court · coach

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. court — of law
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a dance
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. court — for sport
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. court — of a king
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. ground — a position
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hand — in cards
  24. lie — an untruth

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