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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.

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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: field · suit · stick · game · pound · court · cold · can

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. cold — not warm
  3. court — of law
  4. field — farmland
  5. game — a match
  6. cold — an illness
  7. court — of a king
  8. can — a tin
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. court — for sport
  11. can — to be able to
  12. suit — clothes
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. suit — in cards
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. suit — to fit
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. can — a tin
  20. pound — a weight
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cold — the Cold War

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