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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. present — there
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. capital — money
  5. swing — music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. present — a gift
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. capital — a city
  13. swing — in golf
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — a thing
  16. wind — moving air
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. object — an aim
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bat — the animal
  23. swing — to play on
  24. present — the time now

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