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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. key — for a lock
  3. can — to be able to
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. last — final
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. staff — a stick
  9. key — the most important part
  10. last — to go on
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fork — in a road
  15. can — a tin
  16. capital — money
  17. mark — a trace
  18. scale — size or range
  19. can — a tin
  20. last — finally
  21. key — in music
  22. capital — a city
  23. staff — employees
  24. fork — to eat with

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