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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: capital · swing · field · plane · game · bound · deal · court

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. field — farmland
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. court — for sport
  8. capital — money
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. field — a subject
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. field — for sport
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bound — obliged
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. swing — music
  20. capital — a city
  21. court — of law
  22. swing — in golf
  23. court — of a king
  24. swing — to play on

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