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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. net — after costs
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rest — a break
  5. key — in music
  6. row — a line
  7. sharp — clever
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. key — the most important part
  10. capital — a city
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. net — for catching
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. net — in sport
  16. key — for a lock
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. row — to paddle
  20. plane — a tool
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. rest — what's left
  23. capital — money
  24. rest — what's left

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