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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. capital — a city
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. capital — money
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. cue — a hint
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cold — an illness
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. track — a song
  15. cold — not warm
  16. key — for a lock
  17. shower — to wash
  18. track — a path
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. shower — rain
  22. key — the most important part
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. key — in music

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