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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.

Words on the sheet
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: board · court · stem · fork · cell · pitcher · ball · track

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. board — to get on
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cell — in biology
  7. court — of a king
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. board — a committee
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cell — a phone
  15. ball — a great time
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. court — for sport
  21. track — a path
  22. stem — to come from
  23. track — a song
  24. fork — in a road

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