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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: last · tube · firm · ground · field · court · face · present

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. court — for sport
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. firm — decided
  6. field — farmland
  7. face — to confront
  8. present — the time now
  9. tube — a container
  10. present — a gift
  11. court — of law
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. court — of a king
  14. present — there
  15. last — final
  16. ground — the earth
  17. firm — steady
  18. last — to go on
  19. tube — the underground
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. last — finally
  23. firm — a company
  24. field — for sport

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