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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
468
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 · temple · prune · fan · key · stand · hand · toast

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hand — in cards
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. hand — help
  7. key — for a lock
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. prune — to trim
  11. court — of law
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. stand — to bear
  19. toast — bread
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. hand — part of the body

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