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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: temple · cue · bore · root · key · capital · roll · mark

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cue — a signal
  8. capital — a city
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bore — to drill
  12. root — of a plant
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bore — to tire
  15. roll — a list
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. mark — a grade
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. mark — a trace
  23. key — in music
  24. capital — money

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