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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.

Make a worksheet

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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. key — for a lock
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. content — happy
  7. capital — a city
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wind — moving air
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. capital — money
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. key — in music
  15. content — the amount
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wind — moving air
  18. nail — for a hammer

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