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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
468
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: can · club · court · roll · fall · field · chest · racket

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. court — of a king
  3. can — a tin
  4. club — for golf
  5. can — a tin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. field — a subject
  8. chest — a box
  9. club — a group
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. roll — a list
  15. fall — to drop
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. field — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. can — to be able to
  20. fall — the season
  21. field — farmland
  22. court — for sport
  23. club — for dancing
  24. roll — on a roll

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