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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: drill · stand · bank · capital · cue · cell · court · rest

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. court — of a king
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cell — in biology
  5. rest — a break
  6. capital — a city
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. court — of law
  16. capital — money
  17. cue — for pool
  18. drill — army training
  19. cue — a hint
  20. court — for sport
  21. stand — to bear
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bank — for money
  24. stand — for spectators

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