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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: roll · cue · cell · chip · ball · rest · capital · pitch

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. chip — to eat
  3. capital — a city
  4. roll — a list
  5. chip — for betting
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rest — a break
  8. roll — a cake
  9. cue — a hint
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cell — a phone
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cue — a signal
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rest — what's left
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. capital — money
  21. cue — for pool
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pitch — completely

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