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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 · cabinet · game · track · fork · spell · rush · face

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. spell — magic
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. game — a match
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. fork — in a road
  14. court — of a king
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — to confront
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rush — hurry
  21. spell — a short time
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. track — a path
  24. spell — letters

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