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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: bore · court · scale · fine · roll · racket · sharp · track

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. fine — high quality
  6. sharp — clever
  7. scale — size or range
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. court — for sport
  11. roll — a list
  12. track — a song
  13. court — of a king
  14. bore — to tire
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. roll — a cake
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. fine — all right
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. bore — to drill
  24. scale — in music

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