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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. root — the cause
  7. firm — steady
  8. row — a line
  9. object — an aim
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. object — a thing
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — of a plant
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. capital — money
  19. firm — a company
  20. row — to paddle
  21. object — to protest
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. capital — a city
  24. firm — decided

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