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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 116 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: cell · court · field · fan · kid · bass · lie · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. court — of a king
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. court — of law
  6. field — farmland
  7. kid — to tease
  8. court — for sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. field — a subject
  12. lie — to recline
  13. kid — child
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cell — in biology
  16. field — for sport
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bass — low music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cell — a phone
  24. wind — moving air

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