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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 · bowl · kick · rash · track · bat · ball · current

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. court — of a king
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. court — for sport
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. current — electric
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. court — of law
  11. rash — hasty
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. kick — in football
  14. current — happening now
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. ball — a dance
  17. current — of water
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. ball — a great time
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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