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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: file · capital · cue · sharp · plane · lie · pop · can

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pop — to visit
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. can — a tin
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. pop — soda
  9. capital — a city
  10. plane — a tool
  11. capital — money
  12. can — to be able to
  13. file — a document
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. cue — a hint
  16. file — a tool
  17. lie — to recline
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pop — music
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cue — for pool
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. can — a tin
  24. plane — in geometry

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