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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. capital — a city
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. row — to paddle
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. capital — money
  8. tear — from crying
  9. key — in music
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. row — a line
  12. tear — from crying
  13. firm — decided
  14. kick — in football
  15. stem — to come from
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. key — for a lock
  22. firm — steady
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. key — the most important part

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