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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 120 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: kid · arm · stick · pitcher · wake · capital · mug · cue

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. capital — money
  7. mug — a face
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. kid — child
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. capital — a city
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cue — a hint
  24. mug — a cup

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