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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: mate · wound · cue · pitch · craft · ground · capital · squash

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. ground — the earth
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. pitch — completely
  9. ground — a position
  10. cue — a signal
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. ground — crushed
  16. capital — money
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. capital — a city
  19. squash — to crush
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mate — a partner
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cue — a hint

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