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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · ball · game · firm · field · spell · pit · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. firm — decided
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. game — a match
  10. ball — a great time
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pit — in a race
  14. firm — steady
  15. band — a ring
  16. spell — magic
  17. firm — a company
  18. court — of law
  19. spell — a short time
  20. field — a subject
  21. court — for sport
  22. spell — letters
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pit — a hole

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