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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. net — in sport
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rule — government
  7. net — after costs
  8. can — a tin
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — money
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. club — for golf
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rule — a law
  18. club — for dancing
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. can — a tin
  22. key — in music
  23. net — for catching
  24. wake — a trail

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