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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: board · object · bass · deal · net · field · key · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. key — for a lock
  3. net — after costs
  4. field — a subject
  5. object — an aim
  6. net — for catching
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. court — of a king
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. field — farmland
  12. court — for sport
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. key — in music
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bass — the fish
  17. object — a thing
  18. key — the most important part
  19. net — in sport
  20. field — for sport
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. object — to protest
  23. bass — low music
  24. deal — to handle

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