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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: key · stick · land · bay · court · capital · racket · file

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. key — the most important part
  3. land — to come down
  4. key — for a lock
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. land — a country
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. court — for sport
  11. file — a document
  12. court — of a king
  13. key — in music
  14. capital — a city
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. court — of law
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. land — ground
  20. file — a tool
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. capital — money

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