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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: swing · roll · toast · racket · capital · key · mine · lie

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. roll — a cake
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. key — the most important part
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. swing — music
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. swing — to play on
  11. roll — a list
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. key — in music
  14. mine — for digging
  15. capital — a city
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. toast — bread
  20. key — for a lock
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. swing — in golf

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