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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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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: staff · racket · land · suit · track · rash · mine · court

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. court — of law
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. court — for sport
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. staff — a stick
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. track — to keep track
  11. staff — employees
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. land — ground
  15. track — a song
  16. rash — a series
  17. mine — for digging
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — to fit
  20. track — a path
  21. suit — clothes
  22. staff — employees
  23. court — of a king
  24. rash — hasty

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