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

Word bank: court · cap · cue · stem · rule · hide · club · content

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. club — for golf
  6. content — happy
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. court — for sport
  9. rule — a law
  10. cap — a lid
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. content — the amount
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cue — a signal
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rule — government
  19. court — of a king
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stem — a stem cell

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