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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 116 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. net — for catching
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. field — a subject
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. track — a path
  9. field — for sport
  10. track — a song
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. court — of a king
  13. saw — the tool
  14. current — electric
  15. saw — the tool
  16. field — farmland
  17. track — to keep track
  18. board — a committee
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. board — to get on
  21. current — happening now
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. current — of water
  24. court — for sport

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