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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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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: drill · capital · cue · firm · scale · staff · ground · dip

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. drill — the tool
  3. firm — steady
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. ground — crushed
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. dip — to sink
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. capital — a city
  11. drill — a practice
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — decided
  14. capital — money
  15. ground — a position
  16. scale — in music
  17. staff — employees
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cue — a signal
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. cue — for pool
  24. drill — army training

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