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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. capital — a city
  3. lean — to bend
  4. key — the most important part
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rest — what's left
  7. land — a country
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. key — for a lock
  10. track — a song
  11. land — to come down
  12. ball — a dance
  13. capital — money
  14. land — ground
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. track — to keep track
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. foot — a measure
  19. rest — a break
  20. key — in music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. lean — thin

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