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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: mate · cabinet · fan · file · capital · content · ball · key

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. key — for a lock
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. ball — a dance
  6. key — the most important part
  7. content — the amount
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. content — happy
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. file — a tool
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. capital — a city
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. ball — a great time
  18. capital — money
  19. mate — a partner
  20. key — in music
  21. file — a document
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cabinet — ministers

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