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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: capital · present · game · pop · pass · key · straw · fan

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. pop — music
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. game — a match
  8. present — a gift
  9. key — for a lock
  10. capital — money
  11. pop — to visit
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pass — a permit
  14. present — there
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pop — soda
  18. key — the most important part
  19. capital — a city
  20. game — wild animals
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. key — in music
  24. fan — to cool the air

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