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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: court · pass · content · prune · bat · fork · key · wave

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. key — the most important part
  6. court — of a king
  7. key — in music
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pass — a permit
  10. fork — in a road
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. prune — to trim
  20. court — of law
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bat — the animal

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