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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. key — for a lock
  3. capital — a city
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. perch — the fish
  6. court — of a king
  7. suit — to fit
  8. court — for sport
  9. capital — money
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. key — in music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. key — the most important part
  15. rash — hasty
  16. vault — a safe
  17. rash — a series
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. court — of law
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. suit — clothes
  23. net — for catching
  24. suit — in cards

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