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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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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 · bowl · chair · pass · wind · key · mouse · band

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. capital — money
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. key — in music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. band — a music group
  9. pass — a permit
  10. band — a ring
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. capital — a city
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bowl — a football final

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