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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pop — music
  6. race — a contest
  7. club — for golf
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. capital — money
  11. spell — magic
  12. race — the arms race
  13. club — a group
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pop — to visit
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. pop — soda
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. race — humankind
  23. key — for a lock
  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