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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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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: key · face · present · wake · prune · calf · fall · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. key — the most important part
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. face — to confront
  7. key — in music
  8. present — the time now
  9. fall — the season
  10. prune — to trim
  11. present — there
  12. present — a gift
  13. face — to point toward
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fall — to drop
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. court — of a king
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. fall — to drop
  22. key — for a lock
  23. court — for sport
  24. face — part of the head

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