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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. key — for a lock
  3. field — a subject
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. court — of a king
  9. field — farmland
  10. key — the most important part
  11. court — for sport
  12. fork — in a road
  13. court — of law
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. field — for sport
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. saw — the tool
  18. key — in music

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