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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: game · cabinet · lie · cue · board · march · cap · mate

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. march — the month
  3. cap — of ice
  4. board — a committee
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cue — a hint
  8. board — to get on
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cue — for pool
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. march — the month
  14. game — a match
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. lie — to recline
  20. march — music
  21. mate — a friend
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cue — a signal
  24. game — a kind of play

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