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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
468
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: capital · court · cue · saw · chest · content · chair · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. chest — a box
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cue — for pool
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. capital — money
  12. court — of a king
  13. cue — a hint
  14. chest — of your body
  15. content — happy
  16. saw — the tool
  17. court — of law
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. capital — a city
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cue — a signal
  22. court — for sport
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. chair — a leader

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