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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: bat · kick · fork · court · ball · capital · key · deal

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. court — of law
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. court — for sport
  5. key — the most important part
  6. fork — in a road
  7. capital — money
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. key — for a lock
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. capital — a city
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. ball — a dance
  22. kick — in football
  23. deal — an agreement
  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