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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. tube — the underground
  6. capital — money
  7. swing — to play on
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. kick — in football
  10. fork — in a road
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. capital — a city
  13. tube — a container
  14. swing — in golf
  15. board — a committee
  16. swing — music
  17. board — to get on
  18. key — in music
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. key — for a lock
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. key — the most important part
  24. kick — with a leg

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