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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: firm · key · fork · ball · field · temple · kid · calf

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. key — the most important part
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. firm — decided
  5. key — in music
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. field — a subject
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. kid — to tease
  10. field — for sport
  11. ball — a great time
  12. kid — child
  13. firm — a company
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. ball — a dance
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. key — for a lock
  21. firm — steady
  22. field — farmland
  23. fork — in a road
  24. calf — a young 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