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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 116 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: hand · lean · fine · capital · key · track · swing · content

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. hand — help
  3. swing — music
  4. fine — all right
  5. swing — to play on
  6. key — in music
  7. track — to keep track
  8. lean — to bend
  9. content — happy
  10. capital — a city
  11. track — a song
  12. hand — in cards
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fine — high quality
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. swing — in golf
  20. lean — thin
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. track — a path
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. key — for a lock

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