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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: bound · capital · key · mate · last · roll · pitcher · perch

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. last — finally
  3. roll — a list
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. perch — the fish
  7. capital — money
  8. key — for a lock
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. key — in music
  12. last — final
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. last — to go on
  22. roll — a cake
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bound — certain

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