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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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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: safe · pass · capital · court · key · prune · trunk · fork

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pass — a permit
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. key — the most important part
  5. prune — to trim
  6. capital — money
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. court — for sport
  9. capital — a city
  10. fork — in a road
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. court — of law
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. safe — out of danger

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