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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: date · court · jam · key · dip · track · cell · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. court — of law
  3. key — the most important part
  4. dip — to sink
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. file — a line of people
  7. key — in music
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cell — a phone
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. track — a song
  12. cell — in biology
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. track — a path
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. file — a document
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. dip — to dunk
  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