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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: shower · fine · trunk · plane · scale · cue · cold · capital

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. capital — a city
  3. cue — a signal
  4. scale — in music
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. fine — all right
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. cold — not warm
  17. shower — rain
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. cold — an illness
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. fine — high quality
  24. shower — to wash

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