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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. capital — a city
  3. march — music
  4. hand — in cards
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. capital — money
  8. hand — help
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — in music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. saw — the tool
  19. row — to paddle
  20. content — the amount
  21. march — the month
  22. saw — the tool
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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