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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: cue · game · club · court · tear · track · ruler · lie

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. track — to keep track
  3. game — a match
  4. cue — for pool
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. club — for dancing
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. club — for golf
  16. tear — to rip
  17. club — a group
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. lie — to recline
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. tear — from crying

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