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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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 · key · game · trunk · date · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. key — the most important part
  4. fine — high quality
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. key — for a lock
  7. date — the fruit
  8. court — of a king
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. fine — all right
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. key — in music
  13. game — wild animals
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. court — for sport
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. court — of law
  18. game — a match

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