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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. scale — size or range
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — a city
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cue — a hint
  7. vault — a safe
  8. cue — for pool
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. march — music
  11. spring — the season
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. capital — money
  15. spring — a coil
  16. scale — in music
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. spring — of water
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. track — a path
  24. cue — a signal

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