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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. staff — employees
  5. capital — money
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. club — for golf
  9. key — for a lock
  10. staff — employees
  11. band — a music group
  12. capital — a city
  13. club — for dancing
  14. sharp — clever
  15. cue — for pool
  16. staff — a stick
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stock — goods
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. stock — shares
  23. club — a group
  24. sharp — with an edge

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