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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
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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: suit · mine · deal · rule · court · lash · land · pitcher

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. court — for sport
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. court — of a king
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. land — a country
  11. rule — a law
  12. suit — clothes
  13. land — to come down
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. land — ground
  18. suit — to fit
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. court — of law
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. suit — in cards

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