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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. mate — to breed
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. key — for a lock
  6. dip — to sink
  7. scale — in music
  8. key — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. march — the month
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. march — the month
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. march — music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mate — a friend
  19. capital — a city
  20. shower — to wash
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. shower — rain
  23. mate — a partner
  24. capital — a big letter

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