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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: club · drill · court · rule · jam · bank · band · snap

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. band — a music group
  4. bank — for money
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — a law
  12. court — of law
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bank — of a river
  16. band — a ring
  17. club — a group
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. court — for sport
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bank — for money
  24. jam — in traffic

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