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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: cue · key · capital · prune · kid · club · content · lie

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kid — to tease
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cue — a signal
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cue — a hint
  7. key — the most important part
  8. kid — child
  9. capital — a city
  10. lie — to recline
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. key — in music
  15. club — a group
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. club — for golf
  19. cue — for pool
  20. content — the amount
  21. capital — money
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. prune — to trim
  24. content — happy

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