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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: bay · deal · scale · field · squash · key · lie · file

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. squash — the sport
  3. file — a tool
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. field — for sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. scale — in music
  17. lie — to recline
  18. key — the most important part
  19. squash — to crush
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

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