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

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. court — of law
  5. spell — letters
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fine — all right
  9. court — for sport
  10. rock — music
  11. fine — high quality
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. spell — a short time
  15. cap — of ice
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. spell — magic
  20. court — of a king
  21. track — a song
  22. cap — a hat
  23. track — a path
  24. cap — a lid

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