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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cue — for pool
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. roll — a list
  5. pop — music
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cue — a hint
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. game — a match
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cue — a signal
  12. roll — a cake
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. capital — money
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. capital — a city
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. stand — to bear
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. game — wild animals

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