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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. roll — a cake
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. content — happy
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. content — the amount
  11. net — for catching
  12. capital — money
  13. net — after costs
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. key — in music
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wake — a trail
  20. roll — a list
  21. net — in sport
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. key — the most important part

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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