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

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. vault — a safe
  4. capital — money
  5. cue — a signal
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cue — for pool
  8. date — the fruit
  9. stem — to come from
  10. cue — a hint
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. swing — music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. swing — to play on

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