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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
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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: court · ball · land · leaves · bark · rule · cue · fall

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. court — of law
  3. rule — a law
  4. cue — a signal
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. rule — government
  10. fall — the season
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. land — a country
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. fall — to drop
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. ball — a great time
  24. fall — to drop

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