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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. court — of a king
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. roll — a cake
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pitch — completely
  12. court — of law
  13. pop — music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. court — for sport
  18. pop — soda
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. key — for a lock
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. roll — a list
  24. pop — to visit

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