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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cue — a signal
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cold — an illness
  8. capital — a city
  9. cue — for pool
  10. board — a committee
  11. track — to keep track
  12. cold — not warm
  13. pop — to visit
  14. capital — money
  15. pop — soda
  16. game — a match
  17. track — a path
  18. cue — a hint
  19. board — to get on
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pop — music

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