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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.

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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 · safe · ruler · last · key · chest · wind · pound

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. key — the most important part
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. last — final
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. last — to go on
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. last — finally
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. capital — money
  11. chest — a box
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. capital — a city
  15. wind — moving air
  16. key — in music
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wind — moving air
  20. key — for a lock
  21. chest — of your body
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. pound — a weight
  24. chest — of your body

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