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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: bay · court · racket · stock · rash · suit · track · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. track — a path
  3. court — for sport
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. track — to keep track
  6. lean — thin
  7. court — of law
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. stock — goods
  11. suit — to fit
  12. stock — shares
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rash — a series
  15. suit — in cards
  16. track — a song
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. court — of a king
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rash — hasty
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. suit — clothes
  24. racket — for tennis

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