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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 · pass · track · racket · foot · row · game · bear

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. game — wild animals
  3. track — to keep track
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. court — of a king
  7. bear — the animal
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. track — a song
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. pass — a permit
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. track — a path
  16. court — of law
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. court — for sport
  21. game — a match
  22. foot — a measure
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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