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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mug — a cup
  3. cue — a signal
  4. fork — in a road
  5. file — a line of people
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. mug — to rob
  8. spell — letters
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. mug — a face
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. cue — for pool
  15. vault — a safe
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cue — a hint
  19. capital — a city
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. capital — money
  24. court — of a king

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