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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · safe · court · field · kick · bound · plane · mine

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. court — of a king
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. field — a subject
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mine — for digging
  13. court — of law
  14. field — farmland
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. plane — a tool
  17. court — for sport
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. key — in music
  24. field — for sport

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