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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 116 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: spell · track · row · can · capital · cue · cell · face

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. track — a path
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cue — for pool
  8. capital — money
  9. row — to paddle
  10. cue — a hint
  11. face — part of the head
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cue — a signal
  14. track — a song
  15. face — to point toward
  16. capital — a city
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cell — a phone
  20. face — to confront
  21. cell — in biology
  22. row — a line
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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