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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. capital — a city
  6. key — for a lock
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cap — a lid
  9. key — in music
  10. cue — a hint
  11. band — a music group
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. scale — in music
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cue — a signal
  16. key — the most important part
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a hat
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. band — a ring
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cue — for pool
  24. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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