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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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Word bank
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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: rule · bat · land · key · court · present · racket · squash

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. land — ground
  3. present — there
  4. key — in music
  5. rule — government
  6. court — of law
  7. squash — to crush
  8. court — of a king
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. present — the time now
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. key — for a lock
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. land — a country
  15. present — a gift
  16. key — the most important part
  17. land — to come down
  18. bat — the animal
  19. rule — a law
  20. court — for sport
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. racket — for tennis

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