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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: wave · capital · rule · scale · mine · degree · staff · key

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. degree — temperature
  8. key — the most important part
  9. staff — employees
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. staff — employees
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mine — for digging
  15. staff — a stick
  16. degree — from a university
  17. key — in music
  18. capital — money
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — a law
  21. degree — an amount
  22. capital — a city
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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