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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: roll · court · track · bore · clip · bowl · march · fan

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. track — a song
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. march — the month
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. march — music
  12. roll — a cake
  13. clip — a video
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. track — a path
  17. court — of law
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. roll — a list
  21. march — the month
  22. court — of a king
  23. track — to keep track
  24. fan — a supporter

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