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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: club · bound · foot · suit · rash · ball · court · stick

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. suit — in cards
  4. rash — hasty
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for golf
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. suit — clothes
  9. foot — a measure
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. club — for dancing
  12. suit — to fit
  13. ball — a dance
  14. court — for sport
  15. rash — a series
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bound — obliged
  21. court — of law
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. court — of a king
  24. foot — the bottom

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