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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. key — the most important part
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. court — of law
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. kid — to tease
  11. field — farmland
  12. key — for a lock
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. deal — to handle
  16. field — a subject
  17. key — in music
  18. field — for sport
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. fine — a penalty

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