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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. capital — a city
  3. mug — to rob
  4. band — a music group
  5. hand — help
  6. stock — goods
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. game — a match
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mug — a cup
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pass — a permit
  14. capital — money
  15. band — a ring
  16. game — wild animals
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cue — a signal
  19. stock — shares
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mug — a face
  24. hand — in cards

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