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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.

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: court · board · wax · calf · racket · track · band · chip

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. court — of a king
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. board — to get on
  6. court — of law
  7. wax — to grow
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. court — for sport
  10. track — a path
  11. chip — to eat
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. track — to keep track
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. band — a ring
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. chip — for betting
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. track — a song

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