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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. key — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. foot — a measure
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. capital — a city
  12. scale — in music
  13. track — a song
  14. capital — money
  15. mate — a friend
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. track — a path
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. key — for a lock
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. key — the most important part

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