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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. capital — a city
  9. lie — to recline
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. plane — a tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. foot — a measure
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. key — in music
  24. prune — to trim

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