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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: deal · bay · roll · field · present · key · content · game

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. roll — a cake
  4. field — farmland
  5. key — the most important part
  6. content — happy
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. key — in music
  9. field — for sport
  10. present — the time now
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. content — the amount
  14. game — wild animals
  15. field — a subject
  16. roll — a list
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. game — a match
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. present — there
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. present — a gift

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