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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. key — in music
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bound — tied together
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rock — a stone
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bound — certain
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rock — music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. foot — a measure
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. key — for a lock
  23. foot — the bottom
  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