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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. capital — money
  3. key — in music
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bass — low music
  8. shower — rain
  9. craft — boats
  10. mate — a partner
  11. craft — a skill
  12. key — for a lock
  13. rash — a series
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. key — the most important part
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. mate — to breed
  20. shower — to wash
  21. capital — a city
  22. bass — the fish
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. chair — to sit on

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