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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.

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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 · fall · face · ball · content · fan · bat · pop

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fall — to drop
  4. court — of law
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pop — soda
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. court — of a king
  13. ball — a dance
  14. content — the amount
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. content — happy
  18. bat — the animal
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. pop — music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. court — for sport
  24. pop — to visit

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