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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. capital — a city
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — for sport
  6. key — in music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rock — music
  11. hand — help
  12. saw — the tool
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. court — of a king
  16. capital — money
  17. court — of law
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. key — the most important part
  23. mine — for digging
  24. hand — in cards

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