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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. tube — the underground
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — to fit
  8. wound — an injury
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. capital — a city
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. key — for a lock
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. key — the most important part
  17. capital — money
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. hand — in cards
  20. suit — clothes
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. stand — to bear
  23. tube — a container
  24. key — in music

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