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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: snap · court · game · pop · rule · club · fine · sharp

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fine — high quality
  3. sharp — clever
  4. court — of law
  5. club — a group
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. snap — to click
  8. club — for golf
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. game — a match
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rule — a law
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pop — soda
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. court — of a king
  17. club — for dancing
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rule — government
  20. fine — all right
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. court — for sport
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pop — music

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