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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: chip · fine · wax · jam · key · last · capital · bound

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fine — all right
  4. wax — to grow
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. chip — for betting
  9. key — for a lock
  10. last — to go on
  11. bound — certain
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. last — final
  14. bound — obliged
  15. capital — money
  16. fine — high quality
  17. chip — to eat
  18. last — finally
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. key — the most important part
  21. capital — a city
  22. bound — tied together
  23. capital — a big letter
  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