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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 120 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: firm · stand · band · rest · suit · swing · court · game

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. game — wild animals
  3. band — a ring
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rest — a break
  6. swing — to play on
  7. rest — what's left
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. band — a music group
  11. firm — a company
  12. stand — to bear
  13. suit — clothes
  14. swing — in golf
  15. game — a match
  16. court — of a king
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. suit — to fit
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. rest — what's left
  23. swing — music
  24. band — a rubber band

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