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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: hide · can · leaves · hand · court · track · chest · suit

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. suit — to fit
  3. track — to keep track
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. can — to be able to
  6. court — of law
  7. chest — of your body
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. chest — a box
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. court — for sport
  12. track — a song
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. chest — of your body
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. hand — help
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. track — a path
  22. can — a tin
  23. court — of a king
  24. can — a tin

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