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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: bat · lean · arm · track · board · tube · mark · court

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. lean — to bend
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. court — of law
  7. mark — a grade
  8. court — of a king
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. lean — thin
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. court — for sport
  15. track — a path
  16. mark — a trace
  17. board — a committee
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. track — a song
  20. bat — the animal
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. track — to keep track

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