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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
468
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: ball · staff · court · clip · wave · rock · march · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. staff — employees
  4. rule — a law
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. court — of law
  8. staff — employees
  9. court — for sport
  10. march — music
  11. rock — music
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. clip — to cut
  14. court — of a king
  15. ball — a great time
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. clip — for paper
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rule — government
  21. clip — a video
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. wave — with your hand

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