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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: bowl · racket · jam · fan · court · lie · last · fall

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. last — finally
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. court — for sport
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. lie — to recline
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. court — of a king
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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