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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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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: wind · sharp · court · kid · race · key · mark · field

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. court — of a king
  3. wind — moving air
  4. key — in music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. race — the arms race
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. race — humankind
  10. key — the most important part
  11. field — farmland
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. kid — child
  15. sharp — clever
  16. race — a contest
  17. field — for sport
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. mark — a grade
  21. key — for a lock
  22. field — a subject
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. kid — to tease

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