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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 · game · plane · suit · chair · firm · mine

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — clothes
  4. field — a subject
  5. court — of law
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. plane — a tool
  9. firm — steady
  10. suit — to fit
  11. chair — a leader
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. court — of a king
  14. firm — a company
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. game — a match
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. field — for sport
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. firm — decided
  23. court — for sport
  24. mine — for digging

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