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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 120 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: hide · straw · capital · row · content · lie · wake · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. row — a line
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. content — the amount
  7. wake — a trail
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. content — happy
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. lie — to recline
  13. key — in music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. row — to paddle
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. key — for a lock
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. content — videos and posts

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