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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.

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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: firm · file · key · fine · spring · capital · pop · squash

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. firm — steady
  3. capital — money
  4. pop — to visit
  5. spring — the season
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. fine — all right
  14. spring — of water
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. firm — a company
  17. squash — to crush
  18. file — a line of people
  19. firm — decided
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. squash — the sport
  23. key — for a lock
  24. spring — a coil

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