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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 · mine · prune · object · suit · key · craft · season

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. object — to protest
  5. suit — to fit
  6. suit — in cards
  7. craft — a skill
  8. court — of a king
  9. mine — for digging
  10. season — in sport
  11. craft — boats
  12. object — an aim
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. suit — clothes
  15. prune — to trim
  16. object — a thing
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. court — of law
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. season — of the year
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. court — for sport

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