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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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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: field · court · kick · file · cue · deal · racket · fall

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. field — farmland
  5. fall — the season
  6. deal — to handle
  7. court — of a king
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cue — a hint
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. court — for sport
  16. file — a document
  17. cue — for pool
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cue — a signal
  24. court — of law

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