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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. club — for golf
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. key — in music
  7. rush — hurry
  8. firm — a company
  9. club — for dancing
  10. key — the most important part
  11. capital — a city
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pit — a hole
  15. firm — decided
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. firm — steady
  18. track — a path
  19. pit — in a race
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wind — moving air
  22. capital — money
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. club — a group

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