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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · kick · scale · fork · trunk · field · saw · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. key — in music
  7. court — of law
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. saw — the tool
  13. court — of a king
  14. key — for a lock
  15. field — for sport
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fork — in a road
  19. scale — size or range
  20. kick — in football
  21. court — for sport
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. trunk — of a tree

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