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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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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: plane · fine · fork · shower · present · content · key · court

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. present — a gift
  4. shower — rain
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. key — the most important part
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. court — of law
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. present — there
  13. fork — in a road
  14. court — of a king
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. content — happy
  17. key — in music
  18. fine — all right
  19. plane — a tool
  20. present — the time now
  21. court — for sport
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — high quality

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