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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
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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: leaves · court · date · band · bat · fork · track · can

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. band — a music group
  4. can — to be able to
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. can — a tin
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. band — a ring
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. track — a path
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. can — a tin
  18. track — a song
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. court — of law
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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