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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. cold — not warm
  3. drill — army training
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fine — all right
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. capital — a city
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cap — a hat
  16. key — in music
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. drill — a practice
  19. key — the most important part
  20. track — a song
  21. drill — the tool
  22. track — a path
  23. fine — high quality
  24. capital — money

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