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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. court — of law
  3. fine — all right
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. prune — to trim
  6. court — for sport
  7. saw — the tool
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. fine — high quality
  14. staff — employees
  15. bank — for money
  16. key — the most important part
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. court — of a king
  19. prune — to trim
  20. saw — the tool
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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