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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: lie · safe · capital · pitcher · board · stock

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. board — to get on
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. board — a committee
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. lie — to recline
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. stock — goods

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