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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: nail · field · court · chair · snap · current · pound · key

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. key — for a lock
  3. current — electric
  4. key — the most important part
  5. current — happening now
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pound — a weight
  8. field — farmland
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. field — for sport
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. current — of water
  20. key — in music
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. court — for sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

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