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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: land · racket · suit · bear · court · jam · cap · fall

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. court — of a king
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. land — a country
  6. court — for sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. suit — in cards
  12. fall — to drop
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. suit — to fit
  15. cap — a hat
  16. land — to come down
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cap — a lid
  19. court — of law
  20. land — ground
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. suit — clothes
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. fall — the season

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