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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · wind · kick · roll · capital · cue · rock · pop

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. cue — a hint
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. capital — a city
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. cue — for pool
  8. capital — money
  9. land — ground
  10. roll — a list
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pop — music
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. roll — a cake
  18. pop — to visit
  19. kick — in football
  20. land — a country
  21. rock — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. wind — moving air
  24. land — to come down

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