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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fork — in a road
  7. capital — money
  8. firm — decided
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. firm — steady
  11. swing — music
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. key — the most important part
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. swing — to play on
  16. firm — a company
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. key — in music
  20. fall — the season
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fall — to drop
  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