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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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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: bound · track · drill · capital · cue · stick · leaves · last

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. track — a song
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bound — obliged
  10. track — a path
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. track — to keep track
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. drill — army training
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cue — for pool
  18. drill — the tool
  19. last — finally
  20. cue — a signal
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. capital — money
  23. cue — a hint
  24. capital — a city

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