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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. court — of a king
  3. last — to go on
  4. court — for sport
  5. fork — in a road
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. spring — the season
  8. pit — a hole
  9. spring — of water
  10. pit — in a race
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. net — after costs
  13. court — of law
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. key — the most important part
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. key — for a lock
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. last — finally
  22. last — final
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. key — in music

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