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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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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: cold · pass · capital · cue · bowl · dip · stem · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. capital — a city
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cue — a signal
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cold — an illness
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cold — not warm
  15. capital — money
  16. board — a committee
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. cue — for pool
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. dip — to dunk

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