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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 124 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: racket · stock · bore · roll · court · track · chest · deal

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. chest — of your body
  3. track — a path
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. track — a song
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. stock — goods
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bore — to drill
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. chest — a box
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stock — shares
  18. court — of law
  19. roll — a list
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bore — to tire
  23. roll — a cake
  24. chest — of your body

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