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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pop — music
  4. capital — money
  5. kid — child
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. kid — to tease
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. key — for a lock
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pop — to visit
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rush — hurry
  15. capital — a city
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mine — for digging
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. key — the most important part
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. key — in music
  24. pop — soda

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