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

Word bank: fork · band · staff · race · key · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fork — in a road
  4. band — a music group
  5. staff — employees
  6. key — in music
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. race — the arms race
  9. staff — employees
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. race — humankind
  12. capital — money
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. race — a contest
  16. capital — a city
  17. staff — a stick
  18. key — the most important part

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