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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: kick · suit · club · court · cue · land · tube · ruler

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. court — of a king
  3. land — ground
  4. club — a group
  5. cue — for pool
  6. club — for golf
  7. kick — in football
  8. cue — a signal
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. land — a country
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. tube — the underground
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cue — a hint
  19. tube — a container
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — to fit
  22. land — to come down
  23. club — for dancing
  24. ruler — for measuring

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