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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: foot · cue · tear · roll · date · row · capital · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. roll — a list
  3. capital — a city
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cue — for pool
  7. row — to paddle
  8. foot — a measure
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. cue — a hint
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. tear — to rip
  14. roll — a cake
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. tear — from crying
  18. row — a line
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. ball — a dance
  21. date — the fruit
  22. capital — money
  23. cue — a signal
  24. foot — the bottom

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