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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
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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: mine · lean · nail · ball · rock · capital · hide · key

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rock — music
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. lean — to bend
  5. capital — a city
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. ball — a great time
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. capital — money
  11. mine — for digging
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. key — the most important part
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ball — a dance
  18. key — in music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. hide — animal skin

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