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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
468
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: foot · clip · bore · lie · capital · band · key · season

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. foot — a measure
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. capital — a city
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. season — in sport
  9. bore — to tire
  10. band — a ring
  11. clip — a video
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. band — a music group
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. clip — for paper
  19. season — of the year
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. key — for a lock

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