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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
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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: capital · spring · bat · field · drill · pop · charge · key

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. spring — the season
  2. drill — a practice
  3. field — farmland
  4. drill — army training
  5. spring — a coil
  6. charge — a price
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pop — to visit
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pop — music
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. key — in music
  13. charge — in control
  14. capital — a city
  15. field — for sport
  16. pop — soda
  17. spring — of water
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. field — a subject
  20. charge — electricity
  21. capital — money
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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