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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: game · saw · field · wave · court · hide · track · bound

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. court — of a king
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. track — a path
  7. saw — the tool
  8. track — to keep track
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. field — for sport
  11. track — a song
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. court — of law
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. game — a match
  16. court — for sport
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. field — farmland
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bound — obliged
  23. saw — the tool
  24. game — wild animals

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