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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: fan · game · content · bat · capital · temple · cue · squash

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. content — happy
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. cue — a signal
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. game — a match
  13. capital — a city
  14. content — the amount
  15. cue — a hint
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. squash — to crush
  18. game — wild animals
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bat — the animal
  24. fan — a supporter

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