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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mug — a cup
  3. capital — a city
  4. present — a gift
  5. key — the most important part
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. capital — money
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. mug — to rob
  11. hand — in cards
  12. present — the time now
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. mug — a face
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. key — in music
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. stock — shares
  20. key — for a lock
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. present — there
  23. stock — goods
  24. hand — help

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