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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: mouse · track · court · ball · bore · cold · lash · deal

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. court — for sport
  4. track — a path
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. court — of law
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. track — a song
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bore — to drill
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. track — to keep track
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. cold — an illness
  23. deal — to handle
  24. court — of a king

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