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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: track · calf · cue · key · land · rush · content · capital

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cue — a hint
  3. land — ground
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. key — for a lock
  7. capital — a city
  8. content — happy
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. land — a country
  11. content — the amount
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. land — to come down
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. key — in music

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