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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. last — final
  4. capital — a city
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fine — high quality
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. capital — money
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. toast — bread
  15. swing — to play on
  16. last — finally
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. key — in music
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. fine — all right
  22. last — to go on
  23. snap — to click
  24. key — the most important part

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