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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rush — hurry
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. key — for a lock
  6. band — a music group
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. capital — a city
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. key — in music
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. key — the most important part
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. land — ground
  23. capital — money
  24. sharp — with an edge

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