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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · fork · trunk · shower · racket · court · mug · march

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. march — the month
  5. mug — to rob
  6. court — of a king
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — a face
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. field — farmland
  11. court — of law
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. march — music
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. march — the month
  22. field — a subject
  23. fork — in a road
  24. court — 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