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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 120 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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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 · mark · band · sharp · perch · track · season · craft

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. track — a song
  4. mark — a trace
  5. court — for sport
  6. sharp — clever
  7. track — a path
  8. season — of the year
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. court — of law
  14. mark — a grade
  15. craft — boats
  16. track — to keep track
  17. court — of a king
  18. band — a ring
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — a skill
  24. perch — the fish

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