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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. row — to paddle
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. key — the most important part
  6. rock — music
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. row — a line
  10. key — for a lock
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. can — a tin
  13. charge — in control
  14. clip — a video
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. charge — electricity
  17. key — in music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rock — a stone
  20. charge — a price
  21. sharp — clever
  22. clip — for paper
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. capital — a city

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