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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 120 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
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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: content · pit · cabinet · capital · present · chair · cue · sharp

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. present — a gift
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. present — there
  8. sharp — clever
  9. content — happy
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cue — for pool
  12. present — the time now
  13. pit — in a race
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cue — a signal
  17. capital — a city
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. content — the amount
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. chair — a leader
  23. capital — money
  24. content — videos and posts

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