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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wind — moving air
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rash — hasty
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. can — a tin
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. prune — to trim
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. capital — money
  13. prune — to trim
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. key — in music
  16. can — to be able to
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. capital — a city
  21. rash — a series
  22. key — for a lock
  23. can — a tin
  24. wind — moving air

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