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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. season — in sport
  4. capital — a city
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. key — in music
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. key — for a lock
  15. staff — employees
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. chest — of your body
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. chest — a box
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. capital — money
  24. key — the most important part

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