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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. land — ground
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. wound — an injury
  6. land — to come down
  7. capital — money
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. club — a group
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. land — a country
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. mark — a grade
  20. club — for dancing
  21. wound — an injury
  22. club — for golf
  23. key — in music
  24. capital — a city

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