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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mug — a cup
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mug — to rob
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bear — the animal
  8. degree — an amount
  9. key — in music
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bound — tied together
  14. swing — music
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mug — a face
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bound — certain
  21. capital — a city
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. key — for a lock

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