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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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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: cap · rush · wound · cue · pitcher · file · pop · board

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — a signal
  7. board — to get on
  8. pop — soda
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. file — a tool
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wound — an injury
  15. file — a document
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cap — a hat
  21. pop — music
  22. board — a committee
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cue — a hint

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