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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 · court · degree · mouse · wave · coach · ruler · fork

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fork — in a road
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. field — a subject
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. degree — an amount
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. court — of law
  23. degree — temperature
  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