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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bank · prune · pit · court · season · bay · track · sharp

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bank — for money
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bank — of a river
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. court — of a king
  11. track — a song
  12. season — in sport
  13. court — for sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bank — for money
  17. track — to keep track
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. court — of law
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pit — a hole

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