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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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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: scale · race · cue · charge · pound · capital · straw · field

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  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. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. field — farmland
  3. race — the arms race
  4. capital — a city
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. capital — money
  8. charge — a price
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. race — humankind
  11. charge — electricity
  12. cue — a hint
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. charge — in control
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. field — for sport
  18. pound — a weight
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. race — a contest
  21. field — a subject
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. cue — for pool
  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