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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: spring · rule · capital · mark · racket · chip · cue · bowl

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. rule — government
  4. capital — a city
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. cue — for pool
  7. spring — of water
  8. chip — to eat
  9. spring — the season
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. chip — for betting
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rule — a law
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cue — a hint
  20. capital — money
  21. spring — a coil
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bowl — to roll

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