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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: temple · foot · snap · rock · field · capital · scale · key

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. key — for a lock
  3. capital — a city
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. key — in music
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. rock — a stone
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. snap — to click
  17. field — a subject
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. foot — a measure
  20. scale — in music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rock — music
  24. foot — part of the body

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