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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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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 · cue · cell · chip · object · drill · rash · band

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. cue — a hint
  3. object — an aim
  4. drill — army training
  5. object — a thing
  6. cell — a phone
  7. drill — a practice
  8. band — a ring
  9. cue — a signal
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. object — to protest
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. rash — a series
  20. chip — for betting
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. chip — to eat
  24. band — a music group

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