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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: prune · ball · cue · degree · key · patient · court · kick

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. court — of law
  5. degree — temperature
  6. ball — a dance
  7. court — for sport
  8. cue — a signal
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. court — of a king
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cue — a hint
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. key — the most important part
  19. kick — in football
  20. cue — for pool
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. degree — an amount

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