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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · track · chest · board · spring · season · perch · bay

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. season — of the year
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. spring — of water
  5. season — in sport
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. chest — of your body
  9. court — for sport
  10. perch — the fish
  11. spring — a coil
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. court — of a king
  14. track — a path
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. court — of law
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. track — a song
  23. chest — a box
  24. spring — the season

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