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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: deal · rest · ground · shower · swing · field · mouse · court

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. ground — crushed
  3. court — of law
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. ground — the earth
  8. court — of a king
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. swing — in golf
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. rest — what's left
  15. court — for sport
  16. deal — to handle
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. ground — a position
  23. rest — a break
  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