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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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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: arm · ball · capital · club · branch · key · face · rock

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. ball — a great time
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. ball — a dance
  6. capital — a city
  7. key — for a lock
  8. capital — money
  9. face — part of the head
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. club — for golf
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. club — a group
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. face — to confront
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rock — music
  19. key — in music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rock — a stone
  22. key — the most important part
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. face — to point toward

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