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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: fall · staff · tear · field · hide · ball · court · foot

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. staff — employees
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. field — farmland
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fall — the season
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fall — to drop
  10. court — for sport
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. field — a subject
  13. staff — a stick
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. tear — from crying
  17. staff — employees
  18. court — of law
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. tear — to rip
  21. fall — to drop
  22. foot — a measure
  23. field — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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