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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.

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: court · rest · field · lie · patient · racket · firm · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. field — a subject
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rest — what's left
  5. field — for sport
  6. firm — steady
  7. field — farmland
  8. rest — what's left
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. court — of a king
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. firm — decided
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. court — of law
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. court — for sport
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rest — a break
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. firm — a company
  24. racket — for tennis

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