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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: bass · snap · club · rule · fork · lean · court · deal

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fork — in a road
  5. snap — to click
  6. court — for sport
  7. lean — to bend
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. court — of law
  12. deal — to handle
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for golf
  15. court — of a king
  16. lean — thin
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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