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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: sharp · suit · clip · track · spring · pitcher · board · court

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. board — to get on
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. suit — in cards
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. board — a committee
  14. track — to keep track
  15. clip — to cut
  16. sharp — clever
  17. track — a path
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. court — for sport
  20. track — a song
  21. suit — clothes
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. spring — the season
  24. suit — to fit

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