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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. capital — money
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fork — in a road
  7. lie — to recline
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. capital — a city
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spring — of water
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. spring — the season
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fork — to eat with
  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