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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: lie · capital · cue · present · net · calf · rock · rush

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cue — for pool
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. net — in sport
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cue — a signal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cue — a hint
  15. rock — a stone
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. present — the time now
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. net — for catching
  21. capital — money
  22. net — after costs
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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