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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · kick · craft · court · field · ball · date · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. field — farmland
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ball — a great time
  5. field — a subject
  6. court — of a king
  7. date — the fruit
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. spring — the season
  10. court — of law
  11. mug — a face
  12. craft — boats
  13. kick — in football
  14. ball — a dance
  15. spring — of water
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. court — for sport
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. field — for sport
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mug — a cup
  23. craft — a skill
  24. kick — a thrill

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