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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: calf · field · pit · swing · court · lean · land · rash

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pit — a hole
  3. field — for sport
  4. rash — hasty
  5. swing — to play on
  6. land — a country
  7. swing — music
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. swing — in golf
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lean — thin
  12. field — a subject
  13. land — to come down
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pit — in a race
  18. court — for sport
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. field — farmland
  21. court — of a king
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. land — ground
  24. calf — a young 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