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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. chest — of your body
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — the most important part
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. capital — money
  7. chest — a box
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. mate — to breed
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mine — for digging
  14. capital — a city
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bulb — for light
  17. key — in music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mate — a friend
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. sharp — clever

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