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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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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 · fall · game · shower · cell · cue · plane · wave

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cue — for pool
  4. game — a match
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. capital — a city
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. capital — money
  13. shower — rain
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cue — a signal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cell — a phone
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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