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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: net · capital · ball · object · game · pop · key · chair

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. object — to protest
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pop — soda
  6. game — a match
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. object — a thing
  10. net — after costs
  11. ball — a dance
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pop — to visit
  15. key — in music
  16. ball — a great time
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. object — an aim
  19. key — for a lock
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. pop — music
  24. game — wild animals

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