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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stock — shares
  3. key — for a lock
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. track — a song
  7. rush — hurry
  8. key — in music
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. kid — child
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. capital — a city
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. stock — goods
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. key — the most important part
  21. track — a path
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. ball — a dance
  24. capital — money

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