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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: lie · court · kid · snap · key · fork · deal · cell

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. kid — child
  4. lie — to recline
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. court — for sport
  10. key — the most important part
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. key — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. court — of law
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. court — of a king
  19. deal — to handle
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. kid — to tease

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