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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 116 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: mine · cap · can · press · court · cue · band · ball

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mine — for digging
  3. press — to push
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. cue — a signal
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. court — of a king
  10. can — a tin
  11. band — a ring
  12. cue — for pool
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. ball — a dance
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cap — of ice
  18. court — of law
  19. ball — a great time
  20. cap — a lid
  21. court — for sport
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. band — a music group

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