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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.

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: court · can · spell · fork · bat · wound · row · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. spell — magic
  3. row — to paddle
  4. can — to be able to
  5. court — of law
  6. bat — the animal
  7. court — of a king
  8. fork — in a road
  9. ball — a dance
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. wound — an injury
  13. court — for sport
  14. spell — letters
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. can — a tin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. can — a tin
  24. spell — a short time

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