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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 · stand · band · field · sharp · nail · board · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stand — to bear
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. board — a committee
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. field — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. key — the most important part
  15. band — a music group
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. field — a subject
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. field — farmland
  20. board — to get on
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. band — a ring
  24. court — of a king

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