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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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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: key · cap · court · fork · firm · prune · bear · scale

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. key — for a lock
  6. firm — a company
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cap — of ice
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cap — a lid
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bear — the animal
  14. scale — in music
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. key — in music
  18. cap — a hat
  19. firm — steady
  20. prune — to trim
  21. firm — decided
  22. court — of law
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. court — of a king

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