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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: spell · spring · cold · track · hide · rock · firm · court

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cold — an illness
  3. firm — a company
  4. rock — a stone
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. firm — decided
  9. court — of a king
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. firm — steady
  14. track — to keep track
  15. spring — a coil
  16. track — a path
  17. spell — letters
  18. spring — of water
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rock — music
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. spring — the season
  24. cold — the Cold War

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