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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 · cue · bank · bay · bark · charge · court · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bank — for money
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. court — for sport
  14. bank — for money
  15. cue — a signal
  16. charge — in control
  17. court — of law
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bank — of a river
  21. field — farmland
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — a price
  24. court — of a king

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