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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. capital — a city
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. club — for golf
  6. key — for a lock
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. key — in music
  9. club — a group
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fine — all right
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. ball — a great time
  16. capital — money
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fine — high quality
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. club — for dancing
  22. key — the most important part
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — the underground

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