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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: capital · mug · date · shower · game · cue · board · current

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cue — a hint
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. game — a match
  8. board — to get on
  9. mug — a face
  10. cue — for pool
  11. current — of water
  12. date — the fruit
  13. shower — rain
  14. current — electric
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. board — a committee
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. capital — a city
  20. game — wild animals
  21. capital — money
  22. cue — a signal
  23. current — happening now
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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