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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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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: fine · ball · craft · firm · board · capital · hand · file

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. firm — steady
  4. hand — help
  5. board — to get on
  6. craft — a skill
  7. file — a document
  8. capital — money
  9. firm — decided
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — high quality
  12. ball — a dance
  13. file — a line of people
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. firm — a company
  16. board — a committee
  17. file — a tool
  18. hand — in cards
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. craft — boats
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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