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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.

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: fork · object · bass · face · rock · key · spring · court

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. object — to protest
  3. rock — music
  4. spring — a coil
  5. object — an aim
  6. key — for a lock
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. spring — of water
  10. bass — low music
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. fork — in a road
  14. rock — a stone
  15. court — of law
  16. object — a thing
  17. bass — the fish
  18. spring — the season
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. face — to confront
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. rock — to move gently

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