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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. capital — a city
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. capital — money
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rash — a series
  9. pass — a permit
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wind — moving air
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. key — in music
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rash — hasty
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pass — to succeed

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