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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: capital · lash · foot · clip · roll · land · stand · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. capital — a city
  3. foot — a measure
  4. roll — a list
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. land — a country
  7. capital — money
  8. clip — for paper
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. land — to come down
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stand — to bear
  19. clip — to cut
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. clip — a video
  24. land — ground

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