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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. key — the most important part
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. capital — money
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. file — a line of people
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wax — to grow
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. key — in music
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bat — the animal
  16. fine — high quality
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. fine — all right
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. key — for a lock

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