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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 · field · bear · net · court · band · cue · dip

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cue — a signal
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. field — farmland
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bear — the animal
  11. band — a ring
  12. field — a subject
  13. cue — a hint
  14. net — after costs
  15. court — for sport
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. net — for catching
  18. field — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. net — in sport
  22. key — the most important part
  23. band — a music group
  24. key — in music

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