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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
468
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: cue · capital · current · cold · plane · fine · foot · leaves

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fine — high quality
  3. plane — a tool
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. capital — money
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. capital — a city
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cue — a signal
  11. current — electric
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. cold — an illness
  14. current — of water
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cue — for pool
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cold — not warm
  20. fine — all right
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. current — happening now
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cold — the Cold War

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