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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bank — for money
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. field — for sport
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pound — a weight
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bank — for money
  16. ball — a dance
  17. court — of law
  18. mine — for digging
  19. field — farmland
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. court — of a king
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. field — a subject

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