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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 120 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 · fan · pitch · wind · current · rule · content · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. current — of water
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. current — happening now
  6. content — the amount
  7. capital — a city
  8. wind — moving air
  9. content — happy
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cue — a hint
  13. rule — government
  14. pitch — completely
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rule — a law
  20. current — electric
  21. cue — for pool
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cue — a signal
  24. fan — to cool the air

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