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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: spell · fine · court · net · fan · track · mate · season

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. net — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. net — after costs
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. court — of a king
  9. mate — a friend
  10. spell — letters
  11. mate — to breed
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fine — all right
  14. spell — magic
  15. court — of law
  16. mate — a partner
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fine — high quality
  19. court — for sport
  20. track — a path
  21. net — for catching
  22. season — in sport
  23. spell — a short time
  24. track — a song

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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