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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. capital — a city
  3. key — the most important part
  4. charge — a price
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. capital — money
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. row — a line
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. last — finally
  11. foot — a measure
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. key — for a lock
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. key — in music
  18. charge — electricity
  19. last — to go on
  20. hand — in cards
  21. charge — in control
  22. craft — boats
  23. hand — help
  24. last — final

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