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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. club — a group
  3. scale — size or range
  4. club — for golf
  5. capital — a city
  6. staff — employees
  7. tube — a container
  8. staff — employees
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. scale — in music
  11. tube — the underground
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. club — for dancing
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. capital — money

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