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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wax — to grow
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. capital — a city
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. band — a music group
  17. pound — a weight
  18. capital — money
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. band — a ring
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. board — to get on

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