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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. net — for catching
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bank — for money
  6. field — farmland
  7. bank — for money
  8. key — in music
  9. net — after costs
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — in cards
  12. drill — a practice
  13. key — for a lock
  14. drill — army training
  15. net — in sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bank — of a river
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. drill — the tool
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. field — for sport
  22. key — the most important part
  23. hand — help
  24. mouse — the animal

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