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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 · bass · march · racket · dip · field · ground · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. field — for sport
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — in music
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. dip — to sink
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. field — farmland
  21. court — of law
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. field — a subject

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