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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. capital — a city
  3. key — the most important part
  4. band — a ring
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mug — a face
  7. band — a music group
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pound — a weight
  11. key — for a lock
  12. mug — a cup
  13. tear — to rip
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. tear — from crying
  18. capital — money
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mug — to rob

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