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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · capital · object · arm · bear · track · cold · cue

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cue — a signal
  3. season — of the year
  4. capital — money
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. object — to protest
  11. cold — an illness
  12. object — a thing
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. object — an aim
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cue — for pool
  22. capital — a city
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. season — in sport

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