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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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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: field · deal · mug · wind · prune · ball · court · firm

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mug — to rob
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — a company
  9. wind — moving air
  10. field — a subject
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. court — of law
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mug — a face
  16. field — for sport
  17. court — for sport
  18. deal — to handle
  19. field — farmland
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. court — of a king
  22. mug — a cup
  23. firm — decided
  24. ball — a dance

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