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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.

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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: cabinet · last · court · drill · wax · chip · track · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. track — a path
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. court — of law
  5. chip — to eat
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. drill — a practice
  14. track — to keep track
  15. drill — army training
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. last — final
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. last — finally
  22. track — a song
  23. last — to go on
  24. bowl — a dish

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