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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: track · court · rock · racket · lie · season · lash · last

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. last — to go on
  3. rock — music
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. track — a song
  8. last — finally
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. track — to keep track
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. track — a path
  14. season — of the year
  15. rock — a stone
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. last — final
  21. season — in sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. lie — to recline

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