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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 · cell · file · cue · suit · court · arm · bear

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. suit — in cards
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cell — a phone
  8. suit — clothes
  9. file — a line of people
  10. club — a group
  11. suit — to fit
  12. cue — a signal
  13. club — for dancing
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. file — a tool
  17. club — for golf
  18. file — a document
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cue — a hint
  23. court — of a king
  24. arm — part of the body

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