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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: row · cabinet · court · pound · press · wind · track · spell

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wind — moving air
  6. row — a line
  7. spell — letters
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. row — to paddle
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pound — a weight
  16. track — a song
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. press — a publisher
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. court — for sport
  21. track — a path
  22. press — to push
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spell — magic

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