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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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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 · hide · lie · rest · fall · band · court · fine

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. court — of law
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fine — all right
  5. club — for golf
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. club — a group
  8. fall — to drop
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rest — a break
  13. fall — the season
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. court — for sport
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. court — of a king
  18. fine — high quality
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. lie — to recline
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rest — what's left
  24. band — a ring

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