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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pass — a permit
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cue — a hint
  8. game — a match
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bank — for money
  11. capital — a city
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. capital — money
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. tube — a container
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cue — for pool
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bank — for money
  22. tube — the underground
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bank — of a river

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