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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 116 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 · bound · plane · field · ball · cue · can · net

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bound — tied together
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. court — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. can — to be able to
  8. ball — a dance
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bound — certain
  11. net — for catching
  12. court — of a king
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. court — of law
  16. net — in sport
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. cue — for pool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cue — a hint
  23. ball — a great time
  24. net — after costs

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