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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 120 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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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: bay · band · court · pound · fan · racket · key · bowl

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. court — for sport
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. court — of a king
  17. band — a ring
  18. court — of law
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. band — a music group
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pound — a weight

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