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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.

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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: saw · band · chip · cue · cell · wake · track · capital

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. capital — money
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. wake — a trail
  5. saw — the tool
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. capital — a city
  12. band — a music group
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cue — for pool
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cell — a phone
  19. band — a ring
  20. chip — to eat
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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