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

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. capital — a city
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. key — for a lock
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. key — in music
  11. date — the fruit
  12. capital — money
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. squash — the sport
  18. capital — a big letter

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