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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: rule · bat · cue · season · fan · calf · mark · capital

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. season — in sport
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. capital — a city
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. cue — for pool
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. season — of the year
  21. mark — a trace
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — the animal
  24. fan — a supporter

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