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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · nail · chip · squash · fork · court

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. court — for sport
  4. chip — to eat
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. court — of law
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. chip — for betting
  11. fork — in a road
  12. key — for a lock
  13. court — of a king
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. key — the most important part
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. fork — a garden tool

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