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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: mine · face · cue · net · spring · mouse · field · court

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. court — of law
  3. net — after costs
  4. face — to confront
  5. net — in sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. net — for catching
  8. court — of a king
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. field — for sport
  11. court — for sport
  12. spring — the season
  13. mine — for digging
  14. spring — of water
  15. field — farmland
  16. cue — a signal
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mouse — the animal

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