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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: current · pit · capital · bear · staff · cell · key · wound

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pit — a hole
  4. capital — money
  5. current — happening now
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pit — in a race
  8. capital — a city
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. current — electric
  11. staff — employees
  12. key — for a lock
  13. current — of water
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wound — an injury
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cell — in biology
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. key — in music
  24. cell — in a prison

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