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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. stand — to bear
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. band — a music group
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. land — ground
  13. capital — money
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. land — a country
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. capital — a city
  22. pound — a weight
  23. band — a ring
  24. stand — for spectators

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