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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: can · pop · chair · bound · bay · capital · net · key

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bound — certain
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. key — for a lock
  5. capital — a city
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. net — after costs
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bound — obliged
  10. net — for catching
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. net — in sport
  16. key — in music
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. capital — money
  19. pop — music
  20. bound — tied together
  21. chair — a leader
  22. key — the most important part
  23. pop — soda
  24. chair — to sit on

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