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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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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: capital · jam · chair · key · rest · temple · racket · hand

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. rest — what's left
  6. key — for a lock
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. key — in music
  10. rest — a break
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. hand — help
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. capital — a city
  17. chair — a leader
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. rest — what's left
  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