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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 120 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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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: plane · content · dip · bound · race · perch · key · capital

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. key — the most important part
  4. perch — the fish
  5. race — the arms race
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to sink
  8. content — happy
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. key — in music
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. plane — a tool
  21. key — for a lock
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. capital — a city
  24. bound — obliged

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