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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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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: date · lie · capital · roll · object · wound · row · cue

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. roll — a cake
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — an aim
  5. roll — a list
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cue — a signal
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cue — a hint
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. row — to paddle
  13. wound — an injury
  14. capital — a city
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. lie — to recline
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cue — for pool
  19. capital — money
  20. row — a line
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wound — an injury

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