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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: court · track · charge · spring · row · leaves · mate · arm

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. court — of a king
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. spring — the season
  6. mate — to breed
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mate — a friend
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. row — a line
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. charge — a price
  13. spring — a coil
  14. row — to paddle
  15. spring — of water
  16. court — for sport
  17. charge — electricity
  18. court — of law
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mate — a partner
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. track — a song
  23. charge — in control
  24. leaves — to go away

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