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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.

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: capital · bat · track · leaves · plane · kid · cue · bore

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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. plane — in geometry
  4. kid — child
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. kid — to tease
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. cue — a signal
  9. track — a path
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bore — to drill
  14. track — a song
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. plane — a tool
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bore — to tire
  22. track — to keep track
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. capital — money

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