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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: key · cue · fine · root · wind · track · court · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fine — high quality
  3. root — the cause
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. capital — a city
  6. key — for a lock
  7. track — a song
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. cue — for pool
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. court — of a king
  13. wind — moving air
  14. court — for sport
  15. cue — a hint
  16. wind — moving air
  17. root — of a word
  18. court — of law
  19. key — in music
  20. root — of a plant
  21. key — the most important part
  22. cue — a signal
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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