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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · ball · drill · staff · court · rock · racket · mine

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. staff — a stick
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mine — for digging
  11. spell — magic
  12. ball — a dance
  13. court — of a king
  14. staff — employees
  15. court — of law
  16. drill — army training
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. spell — a short time
  19. staff — employees
  20. spell — letters
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. drill — the tool

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