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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. court — for sport
  4. track — a song
  5. plane — a tool
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. season — in sport
  11. perch — the fish
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. court — of law
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. board — to get on
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. board — a committee
  21. court — of a king
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bank — for money

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