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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. field — for sport
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. court — for sport
  8. key — the most important part
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. key — in music
  12. rush — hurry
  13. row — a line
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. court — of a king
  17. field — farmland
  18. row — to paddle
  19. field — a subject
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mine — for digging
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rush — to hurry

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