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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: field · spring · court · deal · content · lean · board · mate

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. mate — a partner
  9. lean — thin
  10. board — a committee
  11. court — of law
  12. mate — to breed
  13. spring — the season
  14. court — of a king
  15. content — the amount
  16. board — to get on
  17. mate — a friend
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. content — happy
  20. lean — to bend
  21. court — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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