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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.

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: track · jam · fork · court · foot · swing · field · nail

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. foot — a measure
  2. court — for sport
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. track — a song
  5. court — of law
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. field — for sport
  9. fork — in a road
  10. track — a path
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. swing — to play on
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. swing — in golf
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. court — of a king
  19. track — to keep track
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. swing — music
  22. field — farmland
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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