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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 120 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: pit · band · cue · hand · rush · mouse · capital · board

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. band — a music group
  6. hand — help
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. capital — money
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cue — for pool
  12. band — a ring
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pit — a hole
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. hand — in cards
  20. capital — a city
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cue — a signal

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