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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: snap · court · fork · board · roll · nail · game · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. roll — a list
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fork — in a road
  6. court — of a king
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. key — for a lock
  13. board — to get on
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. court — for sport
  17. roll — a cake
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. key — in music
  21. board — a committee
  22. court — of law
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. game — a kind of play

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