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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. 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. key — in music
  3. shower — to wash
  4. key — for a lock
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. capital — a city
  9. sharp — clever
  10. key — the most important part
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. squash — to crush
  15. current — happening now
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. current — electric
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — rain
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. current — of water
  23. squash — the sport
  24. 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