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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 116 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. key — the most important part
  3. net — after costs
  4. capital — a city
  5. field — for sport
  6. mark — a trace
  7. net — in sport
  8. plane — a tool
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cue — a hint
  11. face — part of the head
  12. key — in music
  13. cue — a signal
  14. capital — money
  15. field — farmland
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. key — for a lock
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. field — a subject
  21. face — to point toward
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. net — for catching
  24. face — to confront

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