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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. land — to come down
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bass — low music
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. capital — money
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. bass — the fish
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. board — to get on
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. land — ground
  16. deal — to handle
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. board — a committee
  23. land — a country
  24. capital — a city

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