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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 · staff · bark · ball · date · drill · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. staff — a stick
  3. track — to keep track
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. court — of a king
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. track — a song
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. staff — employees
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. drill — a practice
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. track — a path
  19. drill — the tool
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. staff — employees
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. drill — army training

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