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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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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 · bulb · snap · object · pit · ground · key · prune

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. court — of law
  3. pit — in a race
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. ground — the earth
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. court — for sport
  10. key — for a lock
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. bulb — for light
  15. key — in music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. ground — a position
  20. snap — to click
  21. pit — a hole
  22. court — of a king
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bulb — for light

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