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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: mark · rock · game · bound · rest · fan · court · track

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rest — a break
  3. game — a match
  4. court — of law
  5. game — wild animals
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rest — what's left
  8. court — for sport
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bound — certain
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — a trace
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. track — a song
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rock — a stone
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bound — obliged
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. court — of a king
  24. track — a path

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