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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: cap · staff · rest · key · foot · fan · capital · swing

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. staff — a stick
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — the most important part
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. swing — to play on
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. key — in music
  9. foot — a measure
  10. capital — money
  11. cap — of ice
  12. staff — employees
  13. capital — a city
  14. cap — a hat
  15. swing — in golf
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rest — what's left
  18. staff — employees
  19. rest — a break
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. swing — music
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cap — a lid

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