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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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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. club — a group
  6. court — of a king
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. staff — employees
  10. rule — government
  11. chest — a box
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. staff — employees
  15. rash — hasty
  16. chest — of your body
  17. club — for golf
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rash — a series
  20. pass — a permit
  21. chest — of your body
  22. court — of law
  23. rule — a law
  24. staff — a stick

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