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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 116 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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. pitch — completely
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. hand — help
  6. key — the most important part
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. craft — a skill
  9. key — for a lock
  10. fall — to drop
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. fall — to drop
  13. capital — a city
  14. scale — size or range
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. capital — money
  17. key — in music
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. craft — boats
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fall — the season
  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