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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. field — farmland
  3. court — of a king
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. court — for sport
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. field — a subject
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. court — of law
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. pound — a weight
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. field — 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