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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ball — a great time
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. degree — from a university
  5. deal — to handle
  6. key — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. key — for a lock
  10. degree — an amount
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. scale — in music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. key — the most important part
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. degree — temperature
  19. ball — a dance
  20. capital — money
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. capital — a city
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. scale — for weighing

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