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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: row · ball · staff · lash · key · capital · ground · sharp

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. key — in music
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. staff — a stick
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. sharp — clever
  8. ground — the earth
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. staff — employees
  11. ground — a position
  12. row — to paddle
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. ground — crushed
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. ball — a dance
  18. capital — a city
  19. staff — employees
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. row — a line
  24. ball — a great time

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