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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: key · court · capital · leaves · hide · fork · kid · bore

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bore — to drill
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fork — in a road
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. court — of law
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. court — of a king
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. capital — a city
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. key — in music
  19. capital — money
  20. court — for sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. leaves — lets stay

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