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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: key · mug · drill · straw · leaves · season · hand · capital

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. capital — money
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. key — in music
  5. season — in sport
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mug — a cup
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mug — a face
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. season — of the year
  17. drill — army training
  18. mug — to rob
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. capital — a city
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. key — for a lock

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