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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 120 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
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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: stick · net · nail · court · pop · mate · cap · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. net — in sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. pop — to visit
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pop — soda
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. net — for catching
  12. court — of law
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mate — a partner
  17. field — for sport
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mate — to breed
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. net — after costs
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. pop — music

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