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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: cue · wound · capital · scale · lie · bat · roll · date

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bat — the animal
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. lie — to recline
  7. scale — in music
  8. roll — a cake
  9. wound — an injury
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. capital — money
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. date — the fruit
  14. roll — a list
  15. capital — a city
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cue — a signal
  24. scale — size or range

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