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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · pound · chair · capital · present · net

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. present — there
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cue — for pool
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. pound — a weight
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. present — a gift
  12. net — after costs
  13. cue — a hint
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. capital — money
  16. cue — a signal
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter

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