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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wound — an injury
  3. scale — in music
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. court — of law
  10. capital — money
  11. court — for sport
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mark — a grade
  15. court — of a king
  16. key — for a lock
  17. scale — size or range
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. key — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. capital — a city
  23. mark — a trace
  24. prune — to trim

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