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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: capital · current · tear · scale · bat · leaves · chest · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. capital — money
  3. current — happening now
  4. capital — a city
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. current — of water
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. key — for a lock
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bat — the animal
  13. tear — to rip
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. chest — a box
  16. scale — in music
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. current — electric
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. leaves — lets stay

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