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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.

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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. court — of a king
  5. key — in music
  6. mine — for digging
  7. key — for a lock
  8. snap — to click
  9. court — for sport
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. club — for dancing
  15. prune — to trim
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. key — the most important part
  19. club — for golf
  20. scale — in music
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. club — a group
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. scale — size or range

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