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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: foot · bat · track · spell · court · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. court — of law
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bat — the animal
  7. track — a path
  8. spell — a short time
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. court — of a king
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. spell — letters
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. court — for sport
  17. spell — magic
  18. track — a song

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