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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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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: arm · capital · pass · rush · mouse · game · cue · pop

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rush — hurry
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. cue — a signal
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. capital — money
  17. game — a match
  18. pop — music
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pop — soda
  24. cue — for pool

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