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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. cue — for pool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. net — for catching
  6. board — to get on
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. net — in sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — money
  12. cue — a signal
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. capital — a city
  16. board — a committee
  17. net — after costs
  18. band — a ring
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fine — all right
  21. kick — in football
  22. band — a music group
  23. fine — a penalty
  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