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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 116 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: hide · court · stick · land · rule · club · ball · bear

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. land — to come down
  3. club — for golf
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. rule — a law
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. land — ground
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. club — a group
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bear — the animal
  12. court — of a king
  13. club — for dancing
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rule — government
  16. court — for sport
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. ball — a dance
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. court — of law
  24. land — a country

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