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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: chair · wind · rock · pitcher · capital · cabinet · fork · key

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. key — in music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fork — in a road
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rock — a stone
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. capital — a city
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rock — music
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. chair — a leader
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wind — moving air

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