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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. roll — a cake
  3. swing — to play on
  4. present — there
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. present — the time now
  7. saw — the tool
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. saw — the tool
  11. key — for a lock
  12. swing — in golf
  13. capital — a city
  14. present — a gift
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. capital — money
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fine — high quality
  19. key — in music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. roll — a list
  22. fine — all right
  23. swing — music
  24. rest — a break

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