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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: band · perch · court · stand · bowl · pitcher · suit · track

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. track — a song
  3. suit — to fit
  4. perch — the fish
  5. stand — to bear
  6. suit — in cards
  7. court — for sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. suit — clothes
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. band — a ring
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. track — a path
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. track — to keep track
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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