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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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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 · sharp · tear · racket · fan · stock · key

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tear — to rip
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stock — goods
  5. track — to keep track
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. court — of a king
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. tear — from crying
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. court — of law
  12. track — a song
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stock — shares
  15. key — for a lock
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. court — for sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. key — in music
  22. track — a path
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. racket — for tennis

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