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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. dip — to sink
  3. capital — a city
  4. track — a path
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fine — all right
  8. capital — money
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fine — high quality
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. season — of the year
  14. cue — for pool
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. track — a song
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. prune — to trim
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. track — to keep track
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cue — a hint
  24. pitcher — a jug

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