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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 120 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: capital · bass · land · nail · key · chest · temple · arm

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chest — a box
  4. key — the most important part
  5. capital — a city
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. chest — of your body
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. key — for a lock
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. chest — of your body
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bass — low music
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bass — the fish
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. land — ground
  24. capital — money

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