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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. court — for sport
  8. hand — help
  9. club — for golf
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. club — for dancing
  12. court — of a king
  13. club — a group
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. court — of law
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rule — a law

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