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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · key · toast · pop · plane · capital · mate · bass

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mate — a partner
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mate — to breed
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bass — the fish
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pop — soda
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. capital — money
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bass — low music
  18. pop — music
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. plane — a tool
  23. toast — bread
  24. plane — in geometry

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