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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: fall · mate · court · craft · drill · club · rule · staff

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. craft — boats
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. court — of law
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rule — a law
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fall — the season
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. club — a group
  16. court — for sport
  17. craft — a skill
  18. club — for golf
  19. staff — employees
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. court — of a king
  22. rule — government
  23. fall — to drop
  24. club — for dancing

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