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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. march — music
  3. cue — a hint
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. chest — of your body
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. chest — of your body
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. march — the month
  14. shower — to wash
  15. root — the cause
  16. shower — rain
  17. root — of a word
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. capital — money
  20. march — the month
  21. root — of a plant
  22. chest — a box
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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