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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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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: nail · field · court · face · bat · current · foot · net

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. field — farmland
  3. net — in sport
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. face — part of the head
  6. current — electric
  7. net — after costs
  8. current — happening now
  9. field — a subject
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. court — of law
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. court — for sport
  16. current — of water
  17. bat — the animal
  18. face — to point toward
  19. net — for catching
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. court — of a king
  23. face — to confront
  24. field — 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