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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: jam · band · ball · charge · cue · arm · mine · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. charge — electricity
  3. cue — a signal
  4. capital — money
  5. band — a music group
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. charge — a price
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cue — for pool
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. ball — a great time
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. charge — in control
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. ball — a dance
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cue — a hint
  22. band — a ring
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. mine — belonging to me

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