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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: leaves · foot · rock · kid · court · track · stand · chest

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. kid — to tease
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. kid — child
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stand — to bear
  9. track — to keep track
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. court — for sport
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. track — a path
  16. chest — a box
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. rock — a stone
  20. foot — a measure
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. track — a song
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. rock — music

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