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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 120 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. key — for a lock
  3. land — a country
  4. key — the most important part
  5. capital — a city
  6. stock — goods
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bound — obliged
  10. stock — shares
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. land — to come down
  15. capital — money
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bound — certain
  20. key — in music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. land — ground
  24. nail — on a finger

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