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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 120 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: mug · bulb · object · net · field · face · cue · court

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bulb — for light
  5. object — an aim
  6. mug — a cup
  7. field — for sport
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. object — to protest
  11. mug — to rob
  12. field — farmland
  13. cue — for pool
  14. field — a subject
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. court — of law
  17. face — part of the head
  18. net — after costs
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bulb — for light
  21. net — for catching
  22. face — to confront
  23. mug — a face
  24. object — a thing

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