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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wind — moving air
  4. court — of a king
  5. cue — a signal
  6. drill — army training
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. deal — to handle
  9. court — of law
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. drill — the tool
  13. club — for dancing
  14. cell — in biology
  15. club — a group
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. club — for golf
  18. current — electric
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. current — of water
  21. cue — a hint
  22. current — happening now
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cue — for pool

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