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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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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: bank · suit · bulb · court · bat · stick · field · chair

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. field — for sport
  3. court — for sport
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bank — for money
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bat — the animal
  12. field — farmland
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bank — of a river
  16. field — a subject
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bank — for money
  20. court — of a king
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. suit — to fit
  24. chair — to sit on

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