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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. key — for a lock
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. key — in music
  5. land — ground
  6. charge — electricity
  7. pop — to visit
  8. key — the most important part
  9. land — to come down
  10. pop — soda
  11. fall — to drop
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. charge — a price
  14. capital — money
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. charge — in control
  18. fall — the season
  19. capital — a city
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. land — a country
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pop — music
  24. fall — to drop

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