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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. rest — what's left
  3. band — a music group
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mark — a trace
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rest — a break
  10. key — for a lock
  11. rest — what's left
  12. key — in music
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mark — a grade
  15. capital — money
  16. ground — the earth
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. band — a ring
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ground — a position
  21. capital — a city
  22. scale — in music
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mark — to pay attention

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