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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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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: fall · rock · game · bass · track · court · season · board

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. court — of a king
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. fall — to drop
  8. board — to get on
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bass — low music
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. season — in sport
  14. game — wild animals
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. game — a match
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fall — to drop
  19. track — a path
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. board — a committee
  22. rock — music
  23. fall — the season
  24. court — of law

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