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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · mine · chest · calf · wave · bass · field · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. chest — a box
  5. court — for sport
  6. field — for sport
  7. mark — a grade
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. bass — low music
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. court — of a king
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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