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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: rock · date · court · chip · spell · season · fall · track

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rock — music
  4. fall — the season
  5. chip — for betting
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. rock — a stone
  10. season — of the year
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. track — to keep track
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chip — to eat
  16. date — the fruit
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. season — in sport
  21. spell — letters
  22. court — of a king
  23. spell — magic
  24. season — to add flavour

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