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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
468
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: pound · spring · court · hide · suit · face · racket · field

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. suit — to fit
  4. field — a subject
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. court — of a king
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — to confront
  9. field — for sport
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. spring — a coil
  12. suit — clothes
  13. spring — of water
  14. court — of law
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. court — for sport
  17. pound — a weight
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. spring — the season
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. suit — in cards
  23. field — farmland
  24. hide — to keep secret

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