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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · suit · present · bass · fan · field · spell · hide

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. spell — a short time
  3. field — farmland
  4. present — a gift
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. present — there
  8. field — a subject
  9. court — of law
  10. suit — in cards
  11. suit — clothes
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. field — for sport
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. spell — letters
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. suit — to fit
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bass — the fish
  21. spell — magic
  22. present — the time now
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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