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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 120 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: racket · present · hand · plane · bowl · lean · court · field

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. field — farmland
  5. present — there
  6. hand — help
  7. court — for sport
  8. lean — thin
  9. field — a subject
  10. court — of a king
  11. present — the time now
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. present — a gift
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. court — of law
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. field — for sport
  23. lean — to bend
  24. hand — part of the body

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