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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 · nail · plane · court · bay · coach · spring · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. spring — the season
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. court — of a king
  7. last — to go on
  8. court — of law
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. last — finally
  12. track — a song
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. court — for sport
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. plane — a tool
  19. track — a path
  20. spring — of water
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spring — a coil
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. track — to keep track

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