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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. tear — from crying
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rash — hasty
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. key — the most important part
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rash — a series
  14. toast — bread
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wax — to grow
  21. key — in music
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. tear — from crying

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