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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. suit — clothes
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. suit — in cards
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wind — moving air
  7. scale — size or range
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. scale — in music
  10. court — of law
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. rule — a law
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. court — of a king
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. rash — a series
  22. wind — moving air
  23. suit — to fit
  24. wind — to turn a key

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