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

Word bank: cap · mouse · board · straw · capital · foot · hand · stick

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. cap — of ice
  5. board — a committee
  6. capital — a city
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cap — a lid
  18. hand — help
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. foot — the bottom

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