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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
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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: last · mine · can · net · spring · capital · drill · key

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. drill — the tool
  3. net — in sport
  4. key — the most important part
  5. capital — money
  6. last — to go on
  7. spring — of water
  8. capital — a city
  9. last — finally
  10. key — in music
  11. can — to be able to
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. net — after costs
  14. last — final
  15. net — for catching
  16. mine — for digging
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. spring — a coil
  20. key — for a lock
  21. drill — army training
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. drill — a practice
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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