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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: track · kick · snap · bowl · court · nail · band · pass

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a ring
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. band — a music group
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. track — a path
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. pass — a permit
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. kick — in football
  16. track — a song
  17. snap — to click
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. court — of a king
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. pass — to spend time

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