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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: wound · court · game · spell · can · club · wave · hand

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. court — for sport
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spell — magic
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. can — a tin
  7. wound — an injury
  8. hand — in cards
  9. game — wild animals
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. club — a group
  13. spell — a short time
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spell — letters
  16. club — for golf
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. hand — help
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. game — a match

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