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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: pit · track · last · court · mark · bulb · rule · wake

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mark — a grade
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pit — in a race
  5. track — a song
  6. rule — a law
  7. track — a path
  8. last — finally
  9. court — of law
  10. bulb — for light
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. last — to go on
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. court — of a king
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. last — final
  21. mark — a trace
  22. court — for sport
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. pit — a hole

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