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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: date · court · foot · field · arm · stick · fan · mouse

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. court — for sport
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. field — a subject
  8. foot — a measure
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. court — of a king
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. court — of law
  23. date — the fruit
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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