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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 120 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: court · deal · bass · bore · kick · saw · racket · shower

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. saw — the tool
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. deal — to handle
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bass — low music
  10. shower — rain
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bass — the fish
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. court — for sport
  18. bore — to drill
  19. kick — in football
  20. court — of law
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bass — the instrument
  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