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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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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. cue — for pool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. cap — of ice
  7. field — farmland
  8. capital — money
  9. field — for sport
  10. cue — a signal
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — boats
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. cap — a hat
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. band — a ring
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pound — a weight
  24. field — a subject

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