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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 120 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: key · march · bear · file · capital · saw · scale · swing

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bear — the animal
  3. march — music
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. capital — a city
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. march — the month
  10. swing — music
  11. march — the month
  12. capital — money
  13. key — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. swing — in golf
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. scale — size or range
  20. file — a tool
  21. swing — to play on
  22. file — a document
  23. key — the most important part
  24. scale — 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