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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. band — a music group
  3. perch — the fish
  4. capital — money
  5. object — an aim
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. key — for a lock
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. cap — of ice
  11. spell — a short time
  12. object — to protest
  13. key — the most important part
  14. spell — magic
  15. cap — a hat
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. key — in music
  18. capital — a city
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. band — a ring
  21. spell — letters
  22. cap — a lid
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stand — to bear

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