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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 120 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: ground · last · track · bowl · court · suit · foot · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. last — finally
  4. court — of law
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. track — a path
  8. suit — to fit
  9. scale — size or range
  10. last — final
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. suit — in cards
  13. scale — in music
  14. ground — a position
  15. track — to keep track
  16. last — to go on
  17. ground — the earth
  18. court — for sport
  19. track — a song
  20. court — of a king
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. ground — crushed
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bowl — a dish

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