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

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. net — in sport
  3. key — for a lock
  4. ball — a dance
  5. suit — in cards
  6. net — for catching
  7. ball — a great time
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. key — in music
  10. field — farmland
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. suit — clothes
  14. plane — a tool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. net — after costs
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. cabinet — ministers

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