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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. plane — a tool
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. field — for sport
  5. game — wild animals
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. game — a match
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. mark — a trace
  10. court — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. stock — shares
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. mark — a grade
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. court — of law
  21. stock — goods
  22. spell — magic
  23. fork — in a road
  24. field — farmland

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