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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: pit · ball · cue · object · rush · capital · game · wax

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. ball — a great time
  4. cue — for pool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. capital — a city
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cue — a hint
  10. object — a thing
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pit — a hole
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cue — a signal
  18. object — an aim
  19. capital — money
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pit — in a race
  22. game — a match
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. ball — a dance

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