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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 116 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: court · track · mark · lean · pit · game · dip · board

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. court — for sport
  3. board — to get on
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. lean — to bend
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to sink
  13. board — a committee
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pit — in a race
  17. track — a song
  18. game — a match
  19. track — a path
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. lean — thin
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pit — a hole

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