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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: foot · court · stick · club · roll · game · board · kid

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. game — a match
  3. court — for sport
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. court — of a king
  11. club — for dancing
  12. court — of law
  13. roll — a cake
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. club — for golf
  20. kid — to tease
  21. board — a committee
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. roll — a list

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