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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: ball · wave · land · rash · foot · bank · court · bat

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bat — the animal
  5. land — to come down
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bank — of a river
  8. land — ground
  9. court — of a king
  10. rash — a series
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. court — for sport
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. land — a country
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. ball — a dance

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