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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: bass · track · land · court · row · game · drill · stand

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. game — wild animals
  3. track — a path
  4. land — to come down
  5. court — of law
  6. land — ground
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. track — to keep track
  9. game — a match
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. court — of a king
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stand — to bear
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. land — a country
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. drill — army training
  19. track — a song
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bass — low music
  22. drill — the tool
  23. court — for sport
  24. row — a line

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