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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: net · band · sharp · fan · court · mate · prune · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. prune — to trim
  3. sharp — clever
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — in music
  6. mate — a friend
  7. band — a music group
  8. net — for catching
  9. court — of a king
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. court — for sport
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. court — of law
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. band — a ring
  17. net — after costs
  18. mate — to breed
  19. net — in sport
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mate — a partner

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