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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. tube — a container
  5. key — in music
  6. capital — a city
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. tube — the underground
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. swing — music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. key — for a lock
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wound — an injury
  23. foot — a measure
  24. tube — in a tire

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