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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 120 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: present · deal · season · chair · wound · mark · field · court

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. mark — a trace
  7. season — of the year
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. field — for sport
  10. present — the time now
  11. field — a subject
  12. wound — an injury
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. chair — a leader
  15. present — a gift
  16. deal — to handle
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. wound — an injury
  21. court — of a king
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. present — there
  24. field — farmland

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