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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · cell · capital · fine · jam · cue · rock · pitch

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. capital — a city
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fine — all right
  8. cell — in biology
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rock — music
  13. capital — money
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. fine — high quality
  16. game — a match
  17. pitch — completely
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cue — for pool
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. rock — a stone

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