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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: deal · ball · fan · field · last · perch · rash · key

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. key — for a lock
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. perch — the fish
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rash — hasty
  16. last — finally
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rash — a series
  20. ball — a dance
  21. key — in music
  22. field — for sport
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. perch — for a bird

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