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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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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: cue · plane · ruler · capital · pit · cold · last · pop

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. capital — a city
  5. last — final
  6. cue — a hint
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cold — not warm
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. plane — a tool
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pop — soda
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cue — a signal
  17. pit — a hole
  18. last — to go on
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. last — finally
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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