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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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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. pound — a weight
  6. ground — crushed
  7. season — of the year
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. court — of law
  10. ground — a position
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. capital — a city
  15. craft — boats
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. court — of a king
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. craft — a skill
  20. branch — a division
  21. season — in sport
  22. court — for sport
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. ground — the earth

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