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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: firm · rush · clip · can · court · game · pitcher · band

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. court — of law
  3. firm — decided
  4. game — wild animals
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. clip — a video
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. can — to be able to
  14. band — a music group
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. can — a tin
  17. court — of a king
  18. rush — hurry
  19. can — a tin
  20. court — for sport
  21. firm — steady
  22. game — a match
  23. firm — a company
  24. band — a ring

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