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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: fine · hide · object · last · track · court · key · land

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. key — in music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. court — of a king
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. fine — high quality
  8. object — to protest
  9. last — finally
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. court — of law
  12. key — the most important part
  13. last — to go on
  14. court — for sport
  15. object — a thing
  16. fine — all right
  17. object — an aim
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. key — for a lock
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. track — a song
  22. last — final
  23. track — a path
  24. land — a country

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