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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wake — a trail
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pitch — completely
  11. craft — boats
  12. key — in music
  13. spring — the season
  14. craft — a skill
  15. capital — a city
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. spring — a coil
  18. capital — money
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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