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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rule — a law
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. key — the most important part
  6. spring — the season
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. spring — of water
  9. court — of a king
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rule — government
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spring — a coil
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. court — of law
  22. prune — to trim
  23. key — for a lock
  24. court — for sport

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