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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · capital · straw · racket · ball · shower

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. capital — a city
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. key — the most important part
  9. ball — a great time
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. capital — money
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. shower — rain

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