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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
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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: board · capital · trunk · cue · club · pitcher · land · fork

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cue — a signal
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. land — ground
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. board — a committee
  16. land — a country
  17. board — to get on
  18. club — a group
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. club — for golf
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cue — for pool
  23. land — to come down
  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