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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. object — a thing
  3. capital — a city
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. capital — money
  6. firm — steady
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. object — to protest
  10. firm — decided
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. object — an aim
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. firm — a company
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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