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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 116 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 · ball · court · stock · pass · wax · mine · perch

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. court — of law
  3. perch — the fish
  4. track — to keep track
  5. court — of a king
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. track — a path
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ball — a great time
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. track — a song
  15. stock — shares
  16. ball — a dance
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pass — a permit
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stock — goods
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. court — for sport
  24. perch — for a bird

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