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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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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: court · nail · field · bay · key · band · net · spell

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. net — after costs
  3. key — the most important part
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. field — for sport
  8. spell — magic
  9. court — of a king
  10. spell — letters
  11. key — in music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. court — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. band — a ring
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. net — for catching
  19. field — farmland
  20. band — a music group
  21. spell — a short time
  22. court — of law
  23. key — for a lock
  24. net — in 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