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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 116 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. game — a match
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. capital — money
  6. squash — to crush
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cue — a hint
  10. branch — a division
  11. march — music
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. march — the month
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. march — the month
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cue — a signal
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. squash — the sport
  23. capital — a city
  24. stem — of a plant

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