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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: shower · rush · cue · chest · capital · suit · mouse · current

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. suit — in cards
  3. current — happening now
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cue — a signal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. suit — clothes
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. suit — to fit
  11. chest — of your body
  12. capital — a city
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. current — electric
  15. rush — hurry
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. cue — for pool
  19. chest — of your body
  20. current — of water
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. chest — a box

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