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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 120 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: game · fall · deal · lean · fork · key

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. key — the most important part
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fall — the season
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fork — in a road
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lean — to bend
  11. deal — to handle
  12. fall — to drop
  13. key — for a lock
  14. game — a match
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. game — wild animals
  17. key — in music
  18. fork — to eat with

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