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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. key — the most important part
  3. capital — money
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. chip — for betting
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rush — hurry
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pound — a weight
  13. club — a group
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. capital — a city
  20. chip — to eat
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. key — in music
  23. club — for golf
  24. rush — to hurry

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