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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. rash — hasty
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. capital — money
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rash — a series
  14. bass — low music
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bass — the fish
  17. capital — a city
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. key — the most important part
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. pitch — completely
  24. court — of law

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