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

Word bank: deal · squash · fork · key · toast · bore · field · ground

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bore — to tire
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bore — to drill
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. ground — a position
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. squash — to crush
  11. deal — to handle
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. squash — the sport
  15. ground — the earth
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. key — in music
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. ground — crushed
  20. toast — bread
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. squash — the vegetable

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