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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: wave · cue · chair · capital · dip · ball · land · cap

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. ball — a great time
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. capital — a city
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. land — ground
  8. cap — a lid
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cap — a hat
  12. land — to come down
  13. ball — a dance
  14. chair — a leader
  15. land — a country
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. dip — to sink
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cue — a hint
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. dip — a sauce

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