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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. key — for a lock
  8. drill — the tool
  9. capital — a city
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. track — a song
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. key — in music
  19. track — to keep track
  20. dip — to sink
  21. track — a path
  22. capital — money
  23. drill — army training
  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