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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fork — in a road
  4. court — of law
  5. field — for sport
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. mark — a trace
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mark — a grade
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. field — farmland
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. court — of a king
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. field — a subject
  23. deal — to handle
  24. safe — out of danger

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