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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. snap — to click
  5. court — of law
  6. field — farmland
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bound — obliged
  9. suit — clothes
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. suit — to fit
  12. suit — in cards
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. field — for sport
  17. bound — tied together
  18. chest — a box
  19. court — for sport
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bound — certain
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. field — a subject
  24. racket — a loud noise

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