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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · arm · cue · clip · staff · date · cabinet · capital

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cue — a hint
  3. capital — money
  4. bass — the fish
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bass — low music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. staff — employees
  9. capital — a city
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. staff — employees
  14. cue — a signal
  15. clip — to cut
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. clip — a video
  19. cue — for pool
  20. staff — a stick
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. capital — a big letter

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