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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 · perch · board · file · kick · ground · foot

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ground — a position
  4. file — a line of people
  5. kick — in football
  6. court — for sport
  7. ground — the earth
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. ground — crushed
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. file — a document
  12. track — a song
  13. file — a tool
  14. board — a committee
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. track — a path
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. perch — the fish
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. foot — a measure

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