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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: rock · fine · track · kid · court · squash · fan · pop

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pop — soda
  3. kid — to tease
  4. track — a song
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pop — music
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. court — for sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fine — all right
  13. rock — a stone
  14. track — a path
  15. track — to keep track
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — child
  18. fine — high quality
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. court — of law
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. court — of a king
  24. squash — to crush

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