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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · key · snap · ball · swing · branch · court · sharp

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. key — the most important part
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. key — for a lock
  6. ball — a dance
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. swing — in golf
  13. sharp — clever
  14. snap — to click
  15. court — of law
  16. swing — to play on
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bulb — for light
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. court — for sport
  21. swing — music
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. key — in music
  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