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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: cold · ground · cue · capital · foot · rush · fan · season

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. cue — for pool
  3. capital — money
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. season — in sport
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cold — an illness
  13. ground — crushed
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. season — of the year
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — a hint

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