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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 · hand · chest · hide · leaves · track · squash · bore

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. track — a song
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. squash — to crush
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bore — to tire
  9. court — for sport
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. chest — a box
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. squash — the sport
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bore — to drill
  18. court — of a king
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. chest — of your body
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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