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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: roll · court · kick · racket · cue · rule · rush · perch

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. court — for sport
  4. rush — hurry
  5. kick — in football
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rule — government
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. court — of a king
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — a cake
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. cue — for pool
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. perch — the fish
  21. court — of law
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rule — a law
  24. cue — a signal

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