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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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Word bank
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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. season — in sport
  4. snap — to click
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cap — a hat
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. capital — money
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. capital — a city
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — an aim
  20. kid — child
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. season — of the year

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