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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · court · pop · rash · rule · rock · spell · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — a law
  5. pop — to visit
  6. court — for sport
  7. spell — magic
  8. rule — government
  9. rash — a series
  10. court — of law
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. spell — letters
  13. court — of a king
  14. pop — soda
  15. club — a group
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rock — music
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. spell — a short time
  22. club — for golf
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pop — music

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