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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: cell · perch · fall · cue · board · key · chest · capital

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. cue — a signal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. perch — the fish
  7. chest — of your body
  8. key — in music
  9. fall — the season
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. board — a committee
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. capital — money
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cell — a phone
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cue — for pool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. board — to get on
  24. key — the most important part

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