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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: racket · bear · field · wind · roll · court · foot · leaves

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. roll — a cake
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. foot — a measure
  7. field — farmland
  8. bear — the animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. roll — a list
  11. field — for sport
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wind — moving air
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. court — for sport
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bear — the animal
  18. court — of law
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. field — a subject
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — of a tree

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