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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: capital · stick · mine · hide · mark · chair · lean · cue

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mark — a grade
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cue — for pool
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. capital — a city
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. capital — money
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cue — a signal
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mark — a trace

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