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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: board · cue · ground · rest · bear · game · shower · capital

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. ground — crushed
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. cue — a signal
  5. board — to get on
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. shower — rain
  10. capital — a city
  11. ground — a position
  12. capital — money
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bear — the animal
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. board — a committee
  17. cue — for pool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. shower — to wash
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rest — a break
  24. cue — a hint

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