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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. firm — a company
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a face
  7. firm — steady
  8. club — a group
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. firm — decided
  11. mug — a cup
  12. club — for dancing
  13. march — the month
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. club — for golf
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. key — the most important part
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. capital — money

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