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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 116 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: dip · ball · rush · staff · track · face · bound · court

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. face — to point toward
  4. track — a path
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rush — hurry
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. court — of a king
  12. bound — obliged
  13. staff — employees
  14. court — for sport
  15. dip — to sink
  16. face — to confront
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bound — tied together
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bound — certain
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. staff — employees
  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