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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · cue · pound · straw · capital · toast

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. cue — a signal
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. pound — a weight
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — bread
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — for pool
  17. capital — money
  18. pound — for dogs

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