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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: cue · capital · bank · present · arm · rule · mark · wind

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. capital — a city
  3. bank — of a river
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. present — there
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cue — a hint
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. present — a gift
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bank — for money
  16. rule — a law
  17. cue — for pool
  18. mark — a grade
  19. cue — a signal
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. rule — government
  22. present — the time now
  23. bank — for money
  24. mark — to pay attention

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