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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: game · rush · cabinet · can · hand · row · cue · cap

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. cue — a signal
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cue — for pool
  20. row — a line
  21. can — a tin
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. can — a tin
  24. game — a match

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