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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — for golf
  4. capital — a city
  5. march — the month
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. saw — the tool
  8. capital — money
  9. march — music
  10. sharp — clever
  11. pitch — completely
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. key — the most important part
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. club — a group
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. march — the month
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. saw — the tool

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