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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: rush · court · row · band · season · track · charge · bore

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bore — to tire
  3. track — a song
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. track — a path
  6. band — a ring
  7. charge — electricity
  8. court — for sport
  9. charge — in control
  10. row — a line
  11. track — to keep track
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. charge — a price
  15. band — a music group
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. season — in sport
  19. rush — hurry
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. court — of a king
  24. bore — to drill

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