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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: land · stock · mate · key · ball · nail · fork · court

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fork — in a road
  5. mate — a friend
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stock — goods
  11. land — to come down
  12. mate — a partner
  13. key — for a lock
  14. court — for sport
  15. mate — to breed
  16. land — a country
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. ball — a great time
  19. land — ground
  20. stock — shares
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. key — in music
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. nail — on a finger

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