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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.

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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: content · cue · bore · swing · capital · press · net · arm

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. swing — to play on
  6. cue — a hint
  7. content — the amount
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. press — to push
  14. bore — to drill
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bore — to tire
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. cue — a signal
  22. swing — music
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. net — after costs

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