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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: court · mine · deal · field · mouse · tear · board · foot

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. tear — to rip
  4. foot — a measure
  5. field — for sport
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. court — of law
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. tear — from crying
  10. court — for sport
  11. board — to get on
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. board — a committee
  14. field — farmland
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. court — of a king
  17. tear — from crying
  18. field — a subject
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mine — for digging
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. board — a flat piece

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