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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. capital — a city
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. key — the most important part
  7. ball — a dance
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. key — in music
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. charge — electricity
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. key — for a lock
  14. capital — money
  15. land — ground
  16. charge — in control
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pop — music
  19. land — to come down
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. charge — a price
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. land — a country

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