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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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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: swing · capital · stem · bat · cue · bowl · cell · firm

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. swing — in golf
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. firm — decided
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. swing — music
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. capital — money
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cue — a signal
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — steady
  21. cue — for pool
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  24. cell — in biology

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