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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. march — music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cue — a signal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. march — the month
  7. capital — a city
  8. cue — for pool
  9. rush — hurry
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. capital — money
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. march — the month
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. snap — to click
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cold — an illness
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cue — a hint

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