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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. track — a song
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. capital — a city
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. capital — money
  13. track — a path
  14. key — in music
  15. squash — the sport
  16. deal — to handle
  17. squash — to crush
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. dip — to sink
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. track — to keep track
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. key — for a lock
  24. toast — bread

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