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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: bank · racket · present · wax · cue · pitch · capital · club

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. present — a gift
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bank — for money
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. capital — a city
  7. cue — a hint
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bank — of a river
  11. wax — to grow
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bank — for money
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. present — there
  16. cue — a signal
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — completely
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. capital — money
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — a group
  23. present — the time now
  24. wax — for sculpting

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