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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: wound · bore · ball · fine · club · kid · key · field

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. ball — a great time
  5. field — a subject
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. kid — to tease
  9. key — the most important part
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. field — for sport
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. key — in music
  15. club — for golf
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bore — to tire
  19. kid — child
  20. club — a group
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bore — to drill
  23. club — for dancing
  24. field — farmland

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