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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: bat · sharp · field · jam · fine · court · spell · ball

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fine — high quality
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. court — of law
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. field — for sport
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. spell — letters
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. fine — all right
  15. court — for sport
  16. sharp — clever
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. court — of a king
  20. spell — magic
  21. bat — the animal
  22. spell — a short time
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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