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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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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 · pitch · shower · cue · capital · rash · cell · wake

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cell — in biology
  3. shower — rain
  4. board — a committee
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rash — a series
  7. cue — a signal
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wake — a trail
  14. capital — a city
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. board — to get on
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. capital — money
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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