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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: field · mate · bat · bound · suit · snap · rash · court

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. field — farmland
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bound — tied together
  7. suit — to fit
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bound — obliged
  10. field — a subject
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. field — for sport
  13. suit — clothes
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mate — a partner
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bound — certain
  18. rash — hasty
  19. court — of law
  20. mate — a friend
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. snap — to click
  24. mate — to breed

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