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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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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: rush · court · track · wake · lie · deal · row · bore

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bore — to tire
  5. lie — to recline
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. track — a song
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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