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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: mouse · hand · kid · cue · capital · branch · board · fine

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cue — for pool
  3. fine — high quality
  4. kid — to tease
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. board — to get on
  11. branch — a division
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — money
  14. kid — child
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. fine — all right
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cue — a signal
  22. hand — help
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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