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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. court — for sport
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. field — a subject
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bank — for money
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. net — after costs
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bank — for money
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. court — of law
  18. plane — a tool
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. court — of a king
  22. field — farmland
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bank — of a river

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