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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. club — for golf
  3. toast — bread
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mine — for digging
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. roll — a list
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. roll — a cake
  12. capital — a city
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. capital — money
  15. mug — a cup
  16. key — for a lock
  17. mug — a face
  18. key — in music
  19. club — a group
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. key — the most important part
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. mug — to rob
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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