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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. key — in music
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — in cards
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. object — a thing
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. key — for a lock
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bat — the animal
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — to protest
  21. spell — a short time
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. suit — to fit

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