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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. capital — a city
  3. club — for golf
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. club — for dancing
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. bat — the animal
  14. capital — money
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. march — the month
  18. key — in music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. club — a group
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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