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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: fall · sharp · spring · ball · rush · key · foot · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. spring — the season
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. capital — money
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fall — to drop
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rush — hurry
  15. spring — a coil
  16. capital — a city
  17. foot — a measure
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. spring — of water
  24. ball — a dance

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