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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: foot · key · capital · spell · ruler · wind · last · date

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. capital — money
  3. spell — a short time
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. key — for a lock
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. date — the fruit
  10. last — final
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. capital — a city
  13. foot — a measure
  14. wind — moving air
  15. last — to go on
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. spell — magic
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. last — finally
  23. spell — letters
  24. capital — a big letter

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