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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: spring · drill · dip · court · fine · field · club · mate

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. court — of law
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. club — a group
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mate — a friend
  13. drill — the tool
  14. spring — of water
  15. drill — army training
  16. club — for golf
  17. spring — the season
  18. court — for sport
  19. fine — high quality
  20. dip — to sink
  21. field — farmland
  22. mate — a partner
  23. club — for dancing
  24. mate — to breed

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