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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 116 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: game · field · fine · court · patient · staff · pop · board

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pop — to visit
  4. game — wild animals
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pop — soda
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. board — to get on
  12. field — a subject
  13. court — for sport
  14. board — a committee
  15. fine — all right
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. game — a match
  18. staff — employees
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. court — of law
  22. staff — employees
  23. court — of a king
  24. game — a kind of play

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