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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · march · track · bowl · lash · racket · land · cabinet

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. court — for sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. land — to come down
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. land — ground
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. march — the month
  12. track — a song
  13. march — music
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. march — the month
  16. court — of law
  17. court — of a king
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. land — a country
  24. lash — to lash out

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