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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. suit — clothes
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. hand — in cards
  4. degree — temperature
  5. face — to confront
  6. drill — a practice
  7. suit — in cards
  8. rock — music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. face — part of the head
  11. degree — an amount
  12. suit — to fit
  13. hand — help
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. drill — army training
  18. capital — a city
  19. key — in music
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rock — a stone
  22. face — to point toward
  23. key — for a lock
  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