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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. capital — money
  5. key — in music
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. club — a group
  8. ground — the earth
  9. row — to paddle
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. capital — a city
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wax — to grow
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. club — for golf
  18. row — a line
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. key — the most important part
  21. club — for dancing
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ground — a position

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