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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 116 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: cue · rock · bay · capital · sharp · shower · band · plane

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cue — a hint
  3. shower — to wash
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. band — a music group
  15. cue — for pool
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. capital — money
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. shower — rain
  21. capital — a city
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. band — a ring
  24. cue — a signal

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