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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 116 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: present · cue · squash · lie · race · bat · content · capital

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. capital — a city
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. squash — the sport
  12. capital — money
  13. present — the time now
  14. squash — to crush
  15. race — humankind
  16. cue — a signal
  17. present — a gift
  18. bat — the animal
  19. race — the arms race
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. race — a contest
  22. lie — to recline
  23. present — there
  24. cue — a hint

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