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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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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: saw · field · key · arm · court · ground · nail · pitcher

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. court — of a king
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. field — for sport
  12. key — the most important part
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ground — a position
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ground — crushed
  18. key — in music
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. field — farmland
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. field — a subject

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