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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 116 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: track · stock · fan · season · bound · court

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — of law
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bound — certain
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. bound — obliged
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. season — of the year
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. court — for sport
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bound — tied together

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