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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 · bat · ball · suit · fall · lean · board · hide

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. suit — clothes
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. ball — a dance
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. board — to get on
  15. court — of law
  16. suit — to fit
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. board — a committee
  19. suit — in cards
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — thin

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