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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. capital — money
  5. key — in music
  6. pop — music
  7. plane — a tool
  8. object — to protest
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. object — a thing
  12. key — the most important part
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. key — for a lock
  15. last — to go on
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pop — soda
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. object — an aim
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rush — hurry

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