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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · bark · capital · rock · straw · suit · key · can

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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 — for a lock
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. suit — clothes
  7. rock — music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. suit — to fit
  11. can — a tin
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. can — to be able to
  15. chest — a box
  16. can — a tin
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. suit — in cards
  19. key — the most important part
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rock — a stone
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  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