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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: court · stick · toast · club · cap · field · bowl · staff

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. field — a subject
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. court — for sport
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. staff — a stick
  8. club — for golf
  9. staff — employees
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. field — farmland
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. court — of a king
  16. club — a group
  17. cap — a hat
  18. staff — employees
  19. toast — bread
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. court — of law
  22. field — for sport
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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