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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 120 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: cabinet · tear · club · last · bay · suit · cue · capital

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. last — final
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. club — a group
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. capital — money
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. last — finally
  11. suit — in cards
  12. capital — a city
  13. club — for golf
  14. cue — for pool
  15. suit — clothes
  16. cue — a signal
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. last — to go on
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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