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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 120 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: swing · track · court · deal · chest · fork · pitcher · saw

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. court — of a king
  4. fork — in a road
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. deal — to handle
  7. court — of law
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. saw — the tool
  11. track — a path
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. track — to keep track
  16. chest — of your body
  17. swing — to play on
  18. track — a song
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. swing — music
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. chest — a box
  24. court — 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