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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
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 · snap · mine · key · calf · bay · pop · bound

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. capital — money
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bound — tied together
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. snap — to click
  9. key — in music
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pop — to visit
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pop — music
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pop — soda
  24. capital — a city

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