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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.

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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. lie — to recline
  2. game — wild animals
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. court — of law
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. net — after costs
  19. tube — a container
  20. game — a match
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. net — in sport
  23. tube — the underground
  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