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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · spring · lie · wind · game · last · track · can

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. court — of law
  4. track — a song
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. can — a tin
  7. court — of a king
  8. can — a tin
  9. lie — to recline
  10. spring — a coil
  11. game — a match
  12. wind — moving air
  13. track — a path
  14. court — for sport
  15. last — to go on
  16. track — to keep track
  17. spring — of water
  18. can — to be able to
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wind — moving air
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. spring — the season

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