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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. key — the most important part
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bound — obliged
  6. capital — money
  7. staff — employees
  8. bound — tied together
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. club — for golf
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. club — a group
  15. capital — a city
  16. face — part of the head
  17. staff — employees
  18. bound — certain
  19. foot — a measure
  20. club — for dancing
  21. face — to confront
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. face — to point toward
  24. stem — to come from

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