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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: file · temple · object · field · court · tube · net · coach

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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. object — a thing
  4. file — a line of people
  5. net — after costs
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. field — farmland
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. court — of law
  10. object — to protest
  11. file — a document
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tube — a container
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. net — for catching
  16. object — an aim
  17. court — of a king
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. field — for sport
  20. court — for sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tube — the underground
  23. file — a tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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