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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. capital — money
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pop — soda
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. pop — music
  17. snap — to click
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wax — to grow
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pop — to visit
  23. swing — in golf
  24. capital — a city

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