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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: bowl · can · fall · capital · club · ground · cue · wave

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. capital — money
  8. ground — a position
  9. cue — a signal
  10. ground — the earth
  11. can — a tin
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for golf
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. can — a tin
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cue — for pool
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. capital — a city
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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