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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. court — of law
  3. net — after costs
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. field — a subject
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. net — for catching
  10. court — for sport
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — in music
  17. field — for sport
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. court — of a king
  20. field — farmland
  21. squash — the sport
  22. net — in sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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