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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bound — tied together
  3. craft — boats
  4. capital — a city
  5. mark — a grade
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bound — obliged
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. capital — money
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bound — certain
  22. craft — a skill
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. track — to keep track

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