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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: temple · fan · cap · court · pitcher · rush · last · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. court — for sport
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cap — a lid
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. court — of a king
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. court — of law
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. last — final

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