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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.

Make a worksheet

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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. key — in music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wind — moving air
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. key — the most important part
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. tube — the underground
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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