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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 120 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. key — in music
  10. capital — a city
  11. net — for catching
  12. scale — in music
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. scale — size or range
  19. capital — money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. deal — to handle
  22. net — after costs
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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