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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 120 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. key — in music
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bear — the animal
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. land — a country
  10. key — for a lock
  11. capital — money
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. land — ground
  16. bat — the animal
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. saw — the tool
  21. capital — a city
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. land — to come down

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