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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. band — a ring
  3. cell — in biology
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. squash — the sport
  8. club — for dancing
  9. cue — a signal
  10. capital — money
  11. band — a music group
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. squash — to crush
  15. capital — a city
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cell — a phone
  18. club — a group
  19. hand — help
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. club — for golf

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