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

Word bank: pound · field · cap · deal · cue · trunk · court · stand

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — to handle
  3. court — for sport
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. court — of law
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. field — for sport
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. field — a subject
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. court — of a king
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cue — a signal
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pound — a weight
  18. stand — to bear
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cap — a hat
  23. field — farmland
  24. cap — a lid

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