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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: key · capital · pass · ground · swing · bulb · wound · straw

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pass — a permit
  4. swing — music
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. key — the most important part
  12. capital — money
  13. wound — an injury
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bulb — for light
  18. capital — a city
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. swing — to play on
  23. ground — a position
  24. swing — in golf

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