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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. scale — in music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rock — a stone
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. scale — size or range
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rock — music
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. key — in music
  20. staff — employees
  21. capital — money
  22. staff — employees
  23. capital — a city
  24. foot — a measure

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