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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.

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: staff · capital · pitcher · bowl · rush · date · press · cue

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cue — for pool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. staff — a stick
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. capital — a city
  13. cue — a hint
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. capital — money
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. staff — employees
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cue — a signal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. press — to push
  24. staff — employees

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