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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: pop · cell · wave · capital · rash · bore · cue · racket

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pop — soda
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bore — to drill
  9. rash — a series
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pop — music
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. cell — in biology
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pop — to visit
  17. capital — money
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bore — to tire
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cue — a hint
  24. wave — with your hand

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